The Iraqi Popular Army, also known as the People's Army or People's Militia (), was a

paramilitary A paramilitary is a military that is not a part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. The Oxford English Dictionary traces the use of the term "paramilitary" as far back as 1934. Overview Though a paramilitary is, by definiti ...

and

gendarmerie A gendarmerie () is a paramilitary or military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (). In France and so ...

organization composed of civilian volunteers to protect the Ba'athist regime against internal opposition and serve as a counterbalance against any coup attempt by the regular

Iraqi Army The Iraqi Ground Forces (Arabic: القوات البرية العراقية), also referred to as the Iraqi Army (Arabic: الجيش العراقي), is the ground force component of the Iraqi Armed Forces. It was formerly known as the Royal Iraq ...

. In 1987, the People's Army, standing at an estimated 650,000, approached the regular armed forces' manpower strength.

History

Officially, it was the Iraqi Baath Party Militia and included a special youth section. Formed in 1970, the Popular Army grew rapidly, and by 1977 it was estimated to have 50,000 active members. Subsequently, a phenomenal growth, giving the paramilitary extensive internal security and gendarmerie functions, occurred. Whereas its original purpose was to give the Baath Party an active role in every town and village, the Popular Army in 1981 began its most ambitious task to date, the support of the regular armed forces. The official functions of the Popular Army were to act as an

auxiliary force Auxiliaries are support personnel that assist the military or police but are organised differently from regular forces. Auxiliary may be military volunteers undertaking support functions or performing certain duties such as garrison troops, us ...

to support the regular armed forces in times of war and to safeguard revolutionary achievements, to promote mass consciousness, to consolidate national unity, and to bolster the relationship between the people and the army in times of peace. Foreign observers concluded, however, that the primary function of the Popular Army was political in nature; first, to enlist popular support for the Baath Party, and second, to act as a counterweight against any coup attempts by the regular armed forces. Beginning in 1974,

Taha Yassin Ramadan Taha Yassin Ramadan al-Jazrawi (; 20 February 1938 – 20 March 2007) was an Iraqi military officer and politician who served as the vice president of Iraq from March 1991 to the fall of Saddam Hussein in April 2003 and the commander of the Pop ...

, a close associate of President

Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician and revolutionary who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 1979 until Saddam Hussein statue destruction, his overthrow in 2003 during the 2003 invasion of Ira ...

, commanded the Popular Army, which was responsible for internal security. The command of such a large military establishment gave Ramadan so much power, however, that some foreign observers speculated that the primary function of his second in command was to keep him from using the paramilitary force as a personal power base. Popular Army members were recruited from among both women and men (who had completed their regular army service) eighteen years of age and older. It was unclear whether or not Baath Party membership was a prerequisite—especially after 1981 when the numerical strength of the Popular Army ballooned—but, clearly, party indoctrination was at least as important as military training. Members usually underwent a two-month annual training period, and they were paid from party funds. Although the extent of their training was unknown in early 1988, all recruits were specialized in

light infantry Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often fought ...

. Graduates had a gendarmerie role where they were responsible for guarding government buildings and installations, and were concentrated around policing sensitive centers in major towns. Paramilitary members possessed some sophisticated arms, and it was possible that disgruntled officers contemplating a challenge to Saddam Hussein could rally the support of a force of such paramilitaries. The Popular Army was sent into Iraqi Kurdistan and first saw action in the

Second Iraqi-Kurdish War The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of Un ...

. They were also sent out of the country as an expeditionary force to Lebanon to support and fight alongside Palestinian guerrillas during the

Lebanese Civil War The Lebanese Civil War ( ) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 150,000 fatalities and led to the exodus of almost one million people from Lebanon. The religious diversity of the ...

. It was only dissolved when Taha Yassin Ramadan became

Vice President of Iraq Iraq has had three vice presidents or deputy presidents serving concurrently. The office of Vice President was historically largely ceremonial but prestigious. In post-war Iraq, the Constitution of Iraq, in its "Transitional Guidelines," crea ...

in 1991.

Action seen in the Iran-Iraq

Al-Faw

The First Battle of Al-Faw, fought on February 11, 1986, was a battle of the

Iran–Iraq War The Iran–Iraq War, also known as the First Gulf War, was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. Active hostilities began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for nearly eight years, unti ...

. The Iranians launched a surprise attack against the Iraqi troops defending the

al-Faw Peninsula The Al-Faw peninsula (; also transliterated as ''Fao'' or ''Fawr'') is a peninsula in the Persian Gulf, located in the extreme southeast of Iraq. The marshy peninsula is southeast of Iraq's third largest city, Basra, and is part of a delta for t ...

. The Iraqi units in charge of the defenses were mostly made up of poorly trained Iraqi Popular Army conscripts, which collapsed when they were suddenly attacked by the Iranian

Pasdaran Pasdaran (, meaning "Guards") can refer to: * Pasdaran (district) in Tehran * Informal name for the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) {{disambig ...

(Revolutionary Guard) forces.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Popular Army 1970 establishments in Iraq Ba'ath Party paramilitary organizations Ba'athist organizations Ba'athist Iraq Military units and formations disestablished in 1991 Military units and formations established in 1970 Military wings of socialist parties Organizations of the 1991 Iraqi uprisings Paramilitary forces of Iraq Military history of Basra Military history of Tikrit Military units and formations of Iraq 20th century in Basra

History

Action seen in the Iran-Iraq

Al-Faw

See also

References