Iraqi Special Operations Forces

The Iraqi Special Operations Forces (ISOF) ( ar, قوات العمليات الخاصة العراقية) are a special operations force of Iraq. The unit was created in 1950, but was disbanded and recruited from scratch by coalition forces after the 2003 invasion. The forces, directed by the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service, consist of the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Command, which has three brigades subordinate to it. The Counter Terrorism Service (''Jihaz Mukafahat al-Irhab'', originally translated as Counter Terrorism Bureau) is funded by the Iraq Ministry of Defence.

History

Special operations troops of the Iraqi Army were first established when Colonel Khalil Dabbagh built the first royal special units in the name of "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.

The 65th Special Forces Brigade, 76th Special Forces Brigade, 78th Special Forces Brigade, and 450th Marine Brigade were active during the Persian Gulf War.

After the 2003 Invasion of Iraq, the Saddam Hussein-era Iraqi Army was disbanded by the occupation authorities. Because of that, the current Iraqi commando force was recruited from scratch, mostly from Shia, Sunni Arabs, Kurds, Assyrians and Turkmen. In November 2005, after training in Jordan with
Jordanian Special Forces and U.S. Army Special Forces ("Green Berets"), the Iraqi Special Operations Force had 1,440 men trained, composed of two combat battalions, considered equal in training and combat effectiveness to an average U.S. Army infantry battalion, and two support battalions. By March 2008, the force consisted of a single brigade which in turn was made up of an Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Force (ICTF) battalion, three Commando battalions, a support battalion and a special reconnaissance unit.Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq
- March 2008 Report to Congress.

On April 18, 2010, ISOF troops, supported by U.S. troops, carried out a night-time raid on a terrorist safe house near Tikrit. The ISOF surrounded the building and called on them to surrender, but instead the terrorists fired on them. The ISOF returned fire and assaulted the building. The ISOF killed Abu Ayyub al-Masri and Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, the leaders of the Islamic State of Iraq, 16 others were also arrested.

2016 Battle of Mosul

In the Battle of Mosul that began in October 2016, the special ops forces were the first division into the city of Mosul, which had been occupied by Islamic State since 2014. After the fall of Mosul, the ISOF battalions increasingly took up an infantry role the Iraqi army and militias weren't able to provide during operations, a role the unit was unfamiliar with for most of the war against terror. This resulted in a greater number of casualties than in previous operations, which were smaller in scale and shorter in duration.

On 1 November 2016, the 1st Iraqi Special Forces Brigade fought its way into the Gogjali quarter of the city, becoming the first Iraqi unit to enter the city during the offensive. On 10 July 2017, the Iraqi prime minister declared the liberation of Mosul from ISIS. By the end of the battle, CTS forces suffered a 40 percent casualty rate.

Command structure

ISOF

1st Special Operations Brigade (ISOF-1) - based in Baghdad often referred to as the Golden Division, previously the Golden Brigade.
* 1st Battalion (Commando) - former 36th Battalion
* 2nd Battalion (ICTF)
* 3rd Battalion (Support)
* 5th Battalion (Recon)
* Wolf Brigade (Commando Police)
* CTG Kurdistan (Commission)

2nd Special Operations Brigade (ISOF-2) with units in Mosul, Karbala, Diyala and Al Asad
* 6th Regional Commando Battalion
* 7th Regional Commando Battalion
* 8th Regional Commando Battalion
* 9th Regional Commando Battalion

3rd Special Operations Brigade (ISOF-3) was established in Basra by spring 2013, following an order by the prime minister in January 2012
that the forces expand by an additional brigade. It consisted of regional commando battalions in Basra, Babylon, Najaf, Maysan, Dhi Qar and Muthanna provinces, a recon battalion, and a support battalion. A Special Tactics unit is also maintained.

*10th Regional Commando Battalion
* 20th Regional Commando Battalion
* 36th Regional Commando Battalion
* 45th Regional Commando Battalion

Academia (formerly 4th battalion, 1st ISOF brigade). It is responsible for screening and training of new recruits for Counter-Terrorism Command (CTC).

Weapons

Assault rifles and battle rifles

* M4A1 carbine
* M16A2/M16A4
* Remington R4
* Rock River Arms LAR-15
*SIG Sauer SIGM400
* VHS-K2/D2 bullpup assault rifle
* K2C carbine
*OTs-14 Groza

Sub-machine guns

* Uzi
*Heckler & Koch MP5
*Heckler & Koch MP7
*FN P90

Sniper rifles and anti material rifles

*HSR Cyclone sniper rifle
* Steyr HS .50/AM50 anti-material rifle
*M24 SWS
*ORSIS T-5000 sniper rifle
* Barrett M82A1/M107 SASR
* K14 sniper rifle
*Mk 14 Enhanced Battle Rifle

Handguns

* Beretta 92FS pistol
* Tariq pistol
* S&W M&P9 pistol
* Glock 17 & Glock 19
* HS2000 pistol

Machine guns

* PKM
* M249 light Machine gun
* M240 GPMG
*DShKM heavy machine gun
* Browning M2HB

Launchers and grenade launchers

*M203 grenade launcher
*RPG-7
* RPG-27
*M136 AT4
*Mk 153 Shoulder-Launched Multipurpose Assault Weapon
* K4
* Milkor MGL
*Daewoo Precision Industries K4
*Mk 47 Striker

References

External links

{{Iraqi security forces

2003 establishments in Iraq
Counterterrorist organizations
Institutions of the Iraqi Council of Ministers
Military units and formations established in 2003
Special forces of Iraq