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Iraqi Special Operations Forces - Iraq

image by Zoltan Horvath, 19 June 2014

Overview
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Iraq Special Forces Banner - Unit 23 - Saddam era

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Overview

The "Iraqi Special Operations Forces (ISOF) (Arabic: قوات العمليات الخاصة العراقية‎) refers to the Iraqi special forces unit created on December 26, 2003. As of November 2009, the forces, directed by the Iraqi Counter-Terrorist Bureau, consist of the Iraqi Counter-Terrorist Command, which has two brigades subordinate to it. The Counter-Terrorist Bureau is funded by the Ministry of Defence (Iraq).
In November 2005, after two years of training the ISOF were composed of of two combat Battalions and two Support battalions. In March 2008, the force consisted of a single brigade which in turn was made up of an Iraqi National Counter-Terrorism Force (INCTF) battalion, three Commando battalions, a support battalion and a special reconnaissance unit.
Twe two operational Brigades are:
The 1st Special Operations Brigade, located in Baghdad (composed of the 1st, 2nd, and 5th Special Operations Battalions, a Support Battalion and a Training Battalion (Iraqi Special Warfare Center and School). The 1st Battalion has been renamed Iraqi 36th Commando Battalion.
The 2nd Special Operations Brigade, located in Basra, Mosul, Diyala and Al Asad (composed of four Special Operations Battalions respectively).
Source: www.isof-iq.com and https://www.brookings.edu/.../David-Witty-Paper_Final_Web.pdf
Esteban Rivera, 17 June 2014

For the قوات خاصة (English: Special Forces) (also known as قوات خاصة عراقية (English: Iraqi Special Forces)) in modern times in the period before, that is 1950's-2000's (a period in which the Army went under the name Iraqi Army, then Royal Iraqi Army and again Iraqi Army or Army of Iraq, the parent organization of the Special Forces) here's a brief historical background: "Special operations troops in the old Iraqi Army were first established when then Colonel Khaleel Jassim Al-Dabbagh built the first القوات الخاصة الملكية (English: (Iraq) Royal Special Forces) under the name of قوات الملكة عالية (English: Queen Alia Forces) in the mid-1950s. It consisted of Sunni and Shia Arabs, as well as other components of the Iraqi population. They were mainly used on an emergency basis to carry out special missions inside of Iraq and outside when the country was at war. They were also established with the purpose of engaging in the continuous skirmishes against the Kurd forces in the north, mainly under the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraqi_Special_Operations_Forces#History , https://ar.wikipedia.org/ and https://www.facebook.com/Armyofiraq/

The first branch of the counterterrorism force was created as part of the Coalition Provisional Authority’s (CPA) initiative to create the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps (ICDC) to convince Iraqi leaders to disband their militias (such as the Badr Organization and the Mehdi Army, just to name the two biggest at the time). In November 2003, the United States Special Operation Forces' (USSF) component of the Multi National Force - Iraq (MNF-I) created and began to train the 36th ICDC Battalion. The unit was formed from the various ethnic and major political parties in Iraq to ensure it would be capable of conducting operations on a non-sectarian and non-political basis, and each of the various Iraqi militia leaders provided candidates. Shortly thereafter in December 2003, the U.S. Secretary of Defense and U.S. Central Command directed the development of a specific Iraqi counterterrorism unit. Again, USSF led this effort and selected volunteers from across Iraq representing Shi’as, Sunnis, and Kurds to form what would become the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Force (ICTF). After an assessment and vetting of candidates, those selected were sent to Jordan for training by USSF and Jordanian Special Forces.

The newly formed Special Operations unit was given the status of a Brigade and was established on December 14, 2003, under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Defence and became active on December 26, 2003 Trained, advised, and led in combat by USSF, the ICTF and the 36th ICDC Battalion operated independently until May 2004 when U.S. Central Command directed the two forces merge to form the Iraqi Special Operations Forces (ISOF) Brigade, with the mission to conduct precision counterterrorism. The 36th ICDC Battalion was renamed as the 1st Battalion (Commando) and ICTF as the 2nd Battalion (ICTF), both in 2004.

Later on it was upgraded to قيادة العمليات الخاصة (English: Special Operations Command) due to its expansion on May 7, 2005

The designation of such a Brigade as قوات صقر الرافدين (English: "Saqr Al-Rafidain Forces") was given on May 9, 2005.

ISOF remained under the complete control of Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force–Arabian Peninsula (CJSOTF-AP) until September 2006 when the U.S. led Multi-National Force – Iraq (MNF-I) and the Government of Iraq (GoI) signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) which placed ISF under the control of GoI, to include ISOF.

U.S. leaders wanted ISOF to be self-sustaining with a command structure that connected it to the GoI ministries that made polices and provided resources so Iraq could maintain ISOF after the U.S. departed. U.S. planners developed a concept for this goal which included the development of a Counter Terrorism Bureau (CTB), later renamed as the Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) (or Jihaz Mukafahah al-Irhab, “Jihaz” being translated in English as either “bureau” or “service.” The Iraqi CTS Director later determined that the English word “service” more closely defined the role of CTS. U.S. advisors frequently referred to the entire CTS structure as the القوات الوطنية العراقية لمكافحة الارهاب (English: Iraqi National Counter-Terrorism Force, INCTF), although this was seldom translated into Arabic).

The concept also included the development of another separate organization, the Counter Terrorism Command (CTC), which would have operational control of ISOF, be equivalent to and on the same organization level as the Iraqi ground, air, and naval forces commands, and be under the control of JHQ (Joint Headquarters) / MoD (Ministry of Defence), which was approved in October, 2006, although it was removed later on from MoD's control.

An executive order in December 2006 placed ISOF under the prime minister. An executive order in January 2007 placed CTC under the prime minister. It became an independent operation unit on February 7, 2007, as part of the بقيادة مكافحة الارهاب (English: Anti Terrorism Command). The CTC and CTS became operational in March and April of 2007, respectively. An executive order in April 2007 placed CTS under the Prime Minister and in the chain of command of CTC, making it a quasi-ministerial level organization, equivalent in theory to MoD and MoI (Ministry of Interior), and in control of ISOF.

In January 2008, CJSOTF-AP and CTS began combined control of ISOF, meaning in practicality that some missions for ISOF came from the U.S. and others from GoI, although on the ground, almost every operation continued to be a partnership between USSF and ISOF.96 In summer 2008, the next phase of transition began with Iraqi control of ISOF with U.S. oversight.97 In 2009, ISOF was formally transferred to CTS with USSF and ISOF continuing to conduct side-by-side operations on the ground.98 U.S. advisors and trainers remained embedded in all levels of the organization and retained considerable influence over operations.99 Advisors always found that the CTS staff were transparent and readily accepted advice.

Another prominent counterterrorism force was MoI’s Emergency Response Brigade (ERB), which was also established with the assistance of USSF. By late 2011, USSF no longer worked with ERB and advisors believed that ultimately the ERB would be placed under CTS, but this never occurred.

In January 2012, the prime minister directed that CTS expand by another brigade. By the spring of 2013, the 3rd Brigade had been established in Basra, with the 2nd Brigade now in Mosul, and the 1st Brigade (known as the Golden Division) remaining in Baghdad. Between the three brigades, there were now regional commando battalions assigned and located in most of Iraq’s provinces."

Sources: "The Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service" a Paper by David Witty (U.S. Army officer), published by The Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings, in 2015 (https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/David-Witty-Paper_Final_Web.pdf), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_militias_in_Iraq and https://ar.wikipedia.org

For additional information please refer to ISOF-IQ (official website): http://www.isof-iq.com

Esteban Rivera, 8 September 2020

The Flag

The flag is the coat of arms in the middle of a maroon horizontal flag.
Esteban Rivera, 17 June 2014

Iraq Special Forces Banner - Unit 23 - Saddam era

image located by William Garrison, 04 June 2012

Iraq Special Forces Banner Iraqi Unit 23 - Saddam era
Source: http://www.ebay.com/itm/150824113702
Reverse is pale yellow.
William Garrison, 04 June 2012