The 2nd Division was a formation of the

Iraqi Army The Iraqi Ground Forces ( Arabic: القوات البرية العراقية), or the Iraqi Army ( Arabic: الجيش العراقي), is the ground force component of the Iraqi Armed Forces. It was known as the Royal Iraqi Army up until the co ...

. It was theoretically headquartered at

Mosul Mosul ( ar, الموصل, al-Mawṣil, ku, مووسڵ, translit=Mûsil, Turkish: ''Musul'', syr, ܡܘܨܠ, Māwṣil) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. The city is considered the second large ...

, but was driven out of that city by IS. No reliable reports of its continued existence have surfaced since June–July 2014. Previously, the 2nd Division was one of the most experienced formations in the Iraqi Army. The previous 2nd Division had been one of the four original divisions of the Iraqi Army, being active in 1941. The division was stationed in Kirkuk in 1941, and was there when the

Anglo-Iraqi War The Anglo-Iraqi War was a British-led Allies of World War II, Allied military campaign during the Second World War against the Kingdom of Iraq under Rashid Ali, Rashid Gaylani, who had seized power in the 1941 Iraqi coup d'état, with assista ...

took place. Under

Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein ( ; ar, صدام حسين, Ṣaddām Ḥusayn; 28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003. A leading member of the revolution ...

's rule it fought the Kurds in 1961–70, being able to reverse most of the Kurdish gains of their initial offensive of autumn 1961. However it began to suffer from desertion. In 1963 it was concentrated in eastern Kurdistan and probably took part in later offensives. The first Kurdish war ended with the Kurds being granted autonomy. In 1977-78 it was in the north, with its headquarters in Kirkuk as part of the 1st Corps, including five brigades (two reserve) according to British military reports now accessible at

The National Archives National archives are central archive, archives maintained by countries. This article contains a list of national archives. Among its more important tasks are to ensure the accessibility and preservation of the information produced by government ...

, Kew. The division was later present in

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the no ...

during

Operation Desert Storm Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Ma ...

. It was initially assigned to 2nd Corps in the Qasr as Sabiyah area, in mid January 1991, but had moved to just north of

Al Jahra Al Jahra ( ar, الجهراء) is a town and city located west of the centre of Kuwait City in Kuwait. Al Jahra is the capital of the Al Jahra Governorate of Kuwait as well as the surrounding Al Jahra District which is agriculturally based. Enc ...

on 24 February 1991. In 2002 it was still in the north as part of the 1st Corps, made up of the 2nd, 4th, and 36th Infantry Brigades. After the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the Iraqi Army was disbanded in mid-2003. After the creation of the

New Iraqi Army The Iraqi Ground Forces (Arabic: القوات البرية العراقية), or the Iraqi Army (Arabic: الجيش العراقي), is the ground force component of the Iraqi Armed Forces. It was known as the Royal Iraqi Army up until the coup ...

by the

Coalition Provisional Authority ) , capital = Baghdad , largest_city = capital , common_languages = Arabic Kurdish English (''de facto'') , government_type = Transitional government , legislature = Iraqi Governing Council , title_leader = Administrator , leader1 = ...

, the division was reformed. It was certified and assumed operational responsibility for

counter-insurgency Counterinsurgency (COIN) is "the totality of actions aimed at defeating irregular forces". The Oxford English Dictionary defines counterinsurgency as any "military or political action taken against the activities of guerrillas or revolutionar ...

operations in the city of

on December 21, 2006. The 2nd Division’s battalions used to be former Iraqi National Guard units, and were manned predominately by Kurdish troops, many being former

Peshmerga The Peshmerga ( ku, پێشمەرگه, Pêşmerge, lit=those who face death) is the Kurdish military forces of the autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq. According to the Constitution of Iraq, the Peshmerga, along with their security subsidiarie ...

militia units. Its subordinate formations included: * 5 (Citadel) Motorized Brigade (formerly 4th Bde) * 6 (Scorpions) Infantry (AAslt) Bde (former 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division) * 7 Infantry Brigade * 8 Infantry Brigade * 2nd Motor Transport Regiment Ku-map

Three battalions from what was then the Iraqi Army's 4th Brigade graduated basic training in a "march-on" ceremony at the Al Kasik Military Training Base west of Mosul, Oct. 15, 2004. Reports from 2005 indicated that the then 4th Brigade was a former Peshmerga formation. The 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division was formerly known as the 7th Brigade, IIF before the re-organization of the Iraqi Army. The 2nd Brigade of the 2nd Division is composed of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Battalions. As of March 2008, the 2nd Division's headquarters was at Al Kindi Base, and the division was commanded by Brig. Gen. Mutaa al-Khazraji. The division collapsed after June 6–7, 2014, as the

Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ...

(ISIL) seized huge amount of territory across the north of Iraq, including Mosul.

Notes

* Kenneth M. Pollack, ''Arabs at War: Military Effectiveness, 1948–91'', University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln and London, 2002, {{ISBN, 0-8032-3733-2

External links

* Globalsecurity.org
2nd Infantry Division
Divisions of Iraq Military units and formations established in 2005 Military units and formations disestablished in 2014