The Counter Terrorism Service (CTS; ) is an Iraqi security and intelligence agency tasked with
counterterrorism
Counterterrorism (alternatively spelled: counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, relates to the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement, businesses, and Intelligence agency, intelligence ...
. The Service’s operational arm is called the Iraqi Special Operations Forces (ISOF; ). They are an elite
special operations force composed of three brigades based in several
governorates, and who are often collectively referred to as the Golden Division.
During the
occupation of Iraq, all military, security, and intelligence entities of the country were dissolved by the
Coalition Provisional Authority following the issuance of
CPA Order 2, and rebuilt from scratch. CTS was created in 2007 and is funded by the
Ministry of Defence. The Service played a crucial role in combatting terrorism during the
war in Iraq (2013-2017). ISOF have conducted joint operations with the
Green Berets.
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
Gulf War
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After the 2003 Invasion of Iraq, the
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 ...
-era Iraqi Army was disbanded by the occupation authorities. In late 2003, a
commando battalion was recruited from scratch, mostly from
Arabs
Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world.
Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of yea ...
(
Shias and
Sunnis), but also
Kurds
Kurds (), or the Kurdish people, are an Iranian peoples, Iranic ethnic group from West Asia. They are indigenous to Kurdistan, which is a geographic region spanning southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Iraq, and northeastern Syri ...
,
Assyrians and
Turkmen. Another more clandestine battalion named the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Force (ICTF), with robust intelligence capabilities and specialised in counterterrorism and hostage rescue, was also formed at the same time. The aforementioned commando battalion was placed in a supporting role to the latter, with the aim that a premier counterinsurgency force would eventually be developed around the two battalions. The first Iraqi Special Operations Forces brigade (ISOF-1) was formed by the Iraqi Army with the help of U.S special operations forces in July 2005. In November 2005, after training in
Jordan
Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...
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
A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...
, and two support battalions.
In April 2007, the Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) was established with ISOF as its operational arm, and by March 2008, it consisted of a single
brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...
which in turn was made up of 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.
The 2nd Special Operations Forces brigade (ISOF-2) was formed in July 2009.
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.
After the U.S. left in 2011, the CTS struggled without American intelligence, air strikes, logistical capabilities, and medical care. Journalist/researcher
Michael R. Gordon was told that with the withdrawal of the U.S. Army and Air Force, and the fraying of Iraqi capabilities, Maliki had saddled the CTS "with a burgeoning array of missions that included manning checkpoints, escorting convoys, protecting voting centres, and doing battle with militants in densely populated Iraqi cities. A specialised force that had been designed to carry out lightning raids against terrorist cells (with considerable
.S.support) had become a jack-of-all-trades that was being tasked to deal with the upheaval in Iraq." Well-respected U.S. Army special operations Major General
Mike Nagata found Major General Fadhil Jamil al-Barwari, who led the 1st ISOF Brigade of the CTS, "no longer the confident commander" that he had been in years past.
The 3rd Special Operations Forces brigade (ISOF-3) was formed in spring 2013.
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
Mosul ( ; , , ; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. It is the second largest city in Iraq overall after the capital Baghdad. Situated on the banks of Tigris, the city encloses the ruins of the ...
, 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
The Iraqi Special Operations Forces (ISOF) are organized into three primary brigades, each responsible for operations in different regions of Iraq. The structure includes specialized battalions for commando, support, reconnaissance, and tactical operations.
* 1st Special Operations Brigade (ISOF-1) – Based in
Baghdad
Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...
, often referred to as the Golden Division, previously known as the Golden Brigade.
**

1st Battalion (Commando) – Former
36th Battalion
**

2nd Battalion (ICTF)
**

3rd Battalion (Support)
**

5th Battalion (Reconnaissance)
* 2nd Special Operations Brigade (ISOF-2) – Operates in
Nineveh,
Kirkuk
Kirkuk (; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of the Kirkuk Governorate. The city is home to a diverse population of Kurds, Iraqi Turkmen, Iraqi Turkmens and Arabs. Kirkuk sits on the ruins of the original Kirkuk Cit ...
,
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) – Responsible for operations in
Basra
Basra () is a port city in Iraq, southern Iraq. It is the capital of the eponymous Basra Governorate, as well as the List of largest cities of Iraq, third largest city in Iraq overall, behind Baghdad and Mosul. Located near the Iran–Iraq bor ...
,
Babylon,
Najaf
Najaf is the capital city of the Najaf Governorate in central Iraq, about 160 km (99 mi) south of Baghdad. Its estimated population in 2024 is about 1.41 million people. It is widely considered amongst the holiest cities of Shia Islam an ...
,
Maysan,
Dhi Qar, and
Muthanna. This brigade includes:
** 10th Regional Commando Battalion
** 20th Regional Commando Battalion
** 36th Regional Commando Battalion
** 45th Regional Commando Battalion
Additionally, the brigade maintains a reconnaissance battalion, a support battalion, and a Special Tactics Unit.
*

Academia – Formerly the 4th Battalion of the 1st ISOF Brigade, this unit is responsible for screening and training new recruits for the Counter-Terrorism Command (CTC).
Weapons
Handguns
*
Beretta 92FS pistol
*
Tariq pistol
*
S&W M&P9 pistol
*
Glock 17 & Glock 19
*
HS2000 pistol
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
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
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
*
Milkor MGL
*
Daewoo Precision Industries K4
*
Mk 47 Striker
Vehicles
* Promoter DAPC-2
*
Humvee
Notes
References
Further reading
*
*
*
{{Iraqi security forces
2007 establishments in Iraq
Military counterterrorist organizations
Institutions of the Iraqi Council of Ministers
Military units and formations established in 2007
Special forces of Iraq
Iraqi intelligence agencies