The Iraqi Republican Guard () was a branch of the Iraqi military from 1969 to 2003, which existed primarily during the

presidency A presidency is an administration or the executive, the collective administrative and governmental entity that exists around an office of president of a state or nation. Although often the executive branch of government, and often personified b ...

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 ...

. Initially a

praetorian guard The Praetorian Guard (Latin language, Latin: ''cohortes praetoriae'') was the imperial guard of the Imperial Roman army that served various roles for the Roman emperor including being a bodyguard unit, counterintelligence, crowd control and ga ...

unit tasked with the sole purpose to protect the president of Iraq, it grew exponentially during the Iran-Iraq War, transforming into an elite force of the

Iraqi Armed Forces The Iraqi Armed Forces are the military forces of the Iraq, Republic of Iraq. They consist of the Iraqi Army, Ground forces, the Iraqi Army Aviation Command, Army Aviation Command, the Iraqi Air Force, the Iraqi Air Defence Command, Air Defence ...

. It later became known as the ''Republican Guard Corps'', and then the ''Republican Guard Forces Command'' (''RGFC'') with its expansion into two corps. The Republican Guard was disbanded in 2003 after the

invasion of Iraq An invasion is a military offensive of combatants of one geopolitical entity, usually in large numbers, entering territory controlled by another similar entity, often involving acts of aggression. Generally, invasions have objectives ...

by a U.S.-led international coalition. The Republican Guard were the elite troops of the Iraqi army directly reporting to Hussein, unlike the

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 ...

force Fedayeen Saddam, and 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 ...

. They were better trained, disciplined, equipped, and had higher salaries than ordinary Iraqi soldiers, receiving bonuses, new cars, and subsidized housing.

Formation

Formed in 1969, it was originally created to be a presidential guard. Its primary objective was to maintain the stability of the regime and provide protection against internal and external enemies. During 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 ...

, it was expanded into a large military force. It was officially dissolved in 2003, as per CPA Order 2 in the wake of the

by a U.S.-led international coalition. The force's last commander was

Qusay Hussein Qusay Saddam Hussein al-Nasiri al-Tikriti (; 17 May 1966 – 22 July 2003) was an Iraqi politician, military leader, and the second son of Saddam Hussein. He was appointed as his father's heir apparent in 2000. He was also in charge of the Republ ...

, the younger son of Saddam Hussein. Saddam Hussein was so confident about the capability of the guard that he had said: "In history when they write about Napoleon's Guard, they will arrange them next to the Republican Guard of Iraq." Because of their elite status Republican Guards received better equipment and uniforms than their regular Army counterparts, and could often be identified by distinctive markings or items of head dress. Members of the regular Republican Guards conventionally wore a scarlet-colored triangle insignia on both shoulders of their uniforms (sometimes backed with white material to form a white border around the edge of the triangle); they also wore black berets as did some Army personnel, but as a distinctive marking a scarlet ribbon was often sewn to the right of the National cap badge to distinguish bravery in combat and/or loyalty to the Hussein regime. The

Special Republican Guard The Iraqi Special Republican Guard (SRG) (), also known as the Special Forces Brigade of the Presidential Palace, Republican Guard Special Protection Forces, or the Golden Division, was an elite praetorian guard unit founded in either early 199 ...

s wore a maroon beret with the national eagle device, and a special variation of the triangle shoulder insignia in maroon with green Arabic lettering. The bright red qardoon ( shoulder cord) distinguished Republican Guards as well. A similar cord with green and red bands was also worn by the Special Republican Guards.

Operational history

Iran–Iraq War

Initially, the Guard had limited capabilities; however, during the

, it was expanded to five brigades, which was initially mostly used in counterattacks, notably in Operation Dawn-4. By 1986, the war had exhausted Iraq, with both Iran and Iraq suffering heavy casualties. Iran had by then captured the Al Faw Peninsula and gradually pushed Iraqi forces beyond the pre-war border and captured territory inside Iraq, repulsing counterattacks by the Republican Guard. This, coupled with another defeat at the Battle of Mehran, caused the Iraqi Ba'ath Party to convene the Ba'ath Extraordinary Congress of July 1986. During this Congress, the Ba'ath Party decided on a new strategy to overhaul the Iraqi military and utilize Iraq's manpower capability. This decision allowed for the drafting of thousands of collegiate Iraqis who's schools were subsequently closed, who were sent to military summer camps. With this massive influx of manpower, the Republican Guard expanded to somewhere between 28-33 brigades which were led by loyal officers drawn from the Iraqi military. This force then conducted the ''

Tawakalna ala Allah Operations ''Operation Tawakalna ala Allah'' (, Operations “We Put Trust In God") were a series of five highly successful Iraqi offensives launched in April 1988 and lasting until July 1988. Iraq had originally only intended to retake the al-Faw peninsul ...

,'' leading to the eviction of the Iranians from occupied Iraqi territory, resulting in the liberation of Al-Faw, as well as allowing for renewed major offensives into Iran.

1980–1988 Order of Battle

The order of battle according to Iranian sources was as follows: * 1st Mechanized Brigade *2nd, 10th Armored Brigades *3rd Special Forces Brigade *4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 16th, 17th Infantry Brigades (sometimes as mechanized units) *11th Commando Brigade There are some claims of units with names that are unknown.

Persian Gulf War

Between the

invasion of Kuwait The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, codenamed Project 17, began on 2 August 1990 and marked the beginning of the Gulf War. After defeating the Kuwait, State of Kuwait on 4 August 1990, Ba'athist Iraq, Iraq went on to militarily occupy the country fo ...

and the

Persian Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

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-Man ...

"), the number of Republican Guard formations was expanded and the Guard was reorganized. The Republican Guard Forces Command was also created during this period. At the beginning of the Persian Gulf War, it consisted of the following units: * Republican Guard, ** 1st Republican Guard Corps, deployed in southern Iraq and northern Kuwait, consisted of: *** 1st ''Hammurabi'' Armoured Division, CO Major General Qais Abd al-Razaq. *** 2nd ''al-Medinah al-Munawera'' Armoured Division *** 3rd ''Tawakalna ala-Allah'' Mechanised Division *** 4th '' Al Faw'' Motorized Infantry Division ** 2nd Republican Guard Corps deployed south of Baghdad consisted of: *** 5th ''Baghdad'' Mechanised Division, a square division of four brigades, was able to be split into two small half-divisions *** 6th ''

Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar II, also Nebuchadrezzar II, meaning "Nabu, watch over my heir", was the second king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, ruling from the death of his father Nabopolassar in 605 BC to his own death in 562 BC. Often titled Nebuchadnezzar ...

'' Motorized Infantry Division *** 7th ''Adnan'' Motorized Infantry DivisionNamed after a cousin of Saddam Hussein Deployed outside of the corps structure were various other units including: :* 8th ''As Saiqa'' Special Forces Division - contained a marine brigade, a parachute brigade, and a

special forces Special forces or special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

brigade. The marine brigade was deployed on Kuwait's nine islands, all but

Failaka Island Failaka Island ( '' / ''; Kuwaiti Arabic:فيلچه ) is a Kuwaiti Island in the Persian Gulf. The island is 20 km off the coast of Kuwait City in the Persian Gulf. The name "Failaka" is thought to be derived from the ancient Greek – ' " ...

, are uninhabited. The brigade was headquartered on

Bubiyan Island Bubiyan Island () is the largest island in the Kuwaiti coastal island chain situated in the north-western corner of the Persian Gulf, with an area of . Bubiyan Island is part of the Shatt al-Arab delta. The Mubarak Al Kabeer Port is currently ...

The Republican Guard also included two Corps Headquarters, the ''Allah Akbar'' Republican Guard Operations Command, and the ''Fat'h al-Mubayyin'' Republican Guard Operations Command, separate artillery detachments and numerous field support units. Between the invasion of Kuwait and the start of the war on 17 January 1991, four more RGFC internal security divisions had been formed which remained behind in Iraq. All of these units were motorised infantry. The names of only three of them were identified: the ''Al-Abed'', ''Al-Mustafa'' ('The Elect') and ''Al-Nida'' Divisions ('The Call'). They may have conducted operations against Kurdish forces in the north.

Invasion of Kuwait

Insignia of the Iraqi Anti Aircraft Unit of the Republican Guard

By 1 August 1990, there were more than 100,000 Iraqi troops with up to 700 tanks on the Kuwaiti border. On 2 August 1990, the Republican Guard units commenced the invasion of Kuwait, which lasted two days. The Kuwait army strength was 16,000, so on paper Iraqi forces outnumbered the Kuwaitis 7 to 1. However, the actual ratio was far worse; the initial attack was swift, swift enough for the Kuwaiti military personnel on leave to be unable to report on time. The attack was conducted by eight RGFC divisions (two armoured, two mechanized, three motorised infantry and one special forces). The main thrust was conducted from the north down the main Iraq-Kuwait road, later famous as the

Highway of Death The Highway of Death ( ''ṭarīq al-mawt'') is a six-lane highway connecting Kuwait and Iraq, officially known as Highway 80. It runs from Kuwait City to the border town of Safwan, Iraq, Safwan in Iraq and then on to the Iraqi city of Basra. ...

, by the 1st Hammurabi Armoured Division, with the ''Nebuchadnezzar'' Infantry division following; the ''Tawakalna'' Mechanised and ''Al Faw'' Infantry Divisions advanced on the flanks. The supporting attack from the west was led by the ''Medina'' Armoured Division, followed by the ''Adnan'' Infantry Division and the ''Baghdad'' Mechanised Division.

Commando A commando is a combatant, or operative of an elite light infantry or special operations force, specially trained for carrying out raids and operating in small teams behind enemy lines. Originally, "a commando" was a type of combat unit, as oppo ...

s deployed by helicopters joined the attack on

Kuwait City Kuwait City (; ) is the capital and largest city of Kuwait. Located at the heart of the country on the south shore of Kuwait Bay on the Persian Gulf, it is the political, cultural and economic center of the emirate, containing Kuwait's Seif Pal ...

. After the invasion, the Republican Guard was withdrawn and redeployed into strategic reserve positions in northern Kuwait and southern and central Iraq.

Desert Storm

During the Persian Gulf War, the U.S. VII Corps assembled in full strength and launched an armoured attack into Iraq early Sunday, 24 February 1991, just to the west of Kuwait, taking Iraqi forces by surprise. Prior to the ground offensive, the Iraqi Republican Guard had been attacked relentlessly by US warplanes but managed to shoot down and damage a number of the attackers. On 15 February, the Iraqi Republican Guard shot down two

A-10 Warthog The Fairchild Republic A-10 , also infamously known under the nickname , is a single-seat, twin- turbofan, straight-wing, subsonic attack aircraft developed by Fairchild Republic for the United States Air Force (USAF). In service since ...

s and damaged another, which alarmed USAF General

Chuck Horner Charles Albert Horner (born October 19, 1936) is a retired United States Air Force four-star general. He was born in Davenport, Iowa and attended the University of Iowa, as part of the Air Force Reserve Officers' Training Corps program. On Ju ...

, who was forced to call off further A-10 attacks on these divisions. Simultaneously, the U.S. XVIII Airborne Corps launched a sweeping "left-hook" attack across the largely undefended desert of southern Iraq, led by the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment and the

24th Infantry Division (Mechanized) The 24th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the United States Army that was inactivated in October 1996. Formed during World War II from the disbanding Hawaiian Division, the division saw action throughout the Pacific theater, first ...

. Once the allies had penetrated deep into Iraqi territory, they turned eastward, launching a flank attack against the Republican Guard. Both sides exchanged fire, but the Republican Guard divisions, worn down by weeks of aerial bombardment, proved unable to withstand the Allied advance. The Republican Guard participated in some of the largest tank battles in US history including the

Battle of Medina Ridge The Battle of Medina Ridge was a tank battle fought on the 27 February 1991, during the Gulf War, between the 1st Armored Division (United States), U.S. 1st Armored Division and the 2nd Brigade of the Iraqi Republican Guard Medina Luminous Divis ...

Battle of Norfolk The Battle of Norfolk was a armored warfare, tank battle fought on February 27, 1991, during the Persian Gulf War, between armored forces of the United States and United Kingdom, and those of the Republican Guard (Iraq), Iraqi Republican Guard in ...

, and the

Battle of 73 Easting The Battle of 73 Easting was fought on 26 February 1991, during the Gulf War, between Coalition armored forces ( US VII Corps and UK 1st Armoured Division) and Iraqi armored forces (Republican Guard and Tawakalna Division). It was named for a ...

against the U.S. VII Corps. During the latter battle US veterans later reported coming under heavy small-arms fire with bullets bouncing off their vehicles, having been attacked by several dismounted detachments of the Tawakalna Division. Several rifle companies of the Tawakalna Division counterattacked under the cover of darkness, in an attempt to recover lost positions. The US won with minimal losses while inflicting heavy losses on the Iraqi Army, but elements of the Republican Guard divisions were able to withdraw back into Iraq, shooting down three US warplanes and a rescue helicopter in the process. In early April 1991, Colonel Montgomery Meigs, the commander of the 2nd Brigade of the 1st Armoured Division, paid his respects to his former enemy's Medina Division reporting that, "These guys stayed and fought." The Medina Division shot down an A-10 Thunderbolt II in the fighting for Medina Ridge on 27 February 1991, and other Republican Guard units were responsible for the destruction of a US Marine Corps Harrier, a USAF F-16 and a US Army UH-60 Blackhawk that day.

Between the Gulf War and the 2003 Iraq War

All the eight Republican Guard divisions involved in fighting during the Gulf War and the "Tawakalna" Division were disbanded due to losses. The remaining formations led the suppression of the 1991 uprisings in northern and southern Iraq - the Kurdish insurgency in the north and the Shi'ite uprising in the east. During these times, there were numerous accusations of the use of poison gas, rape and torture. The Hammurabi and Medina divisions surrounded Karbala with tanks and artillery, then shelled the city for one week, killing thousands and destroying entire neighborhoods. Though it was reduced to a strength of seven or eight divisions, the RGFC was reconstituted, taking equipment from Army heavy divisions. Journalist Sean Boyle wrote a number of articles for

Jane's Intelligence Review ''Jane's Intelligence Review'' was a monthly journal on global security and stability issues published by Jane's Information Group. Its coverage includes international security issues, state stability, terrorism and insurgency, ongoing conflicts, ...

, including on the Republican Guard, during the 1990s. In September 1997 he wrote that the Northern Corps had four divisions - Adnan Mechanised Division (Headquarters (HQ) Mosul) with the 11, 12, 21 Brigades; Baghdad Infantry Division (HQ Maqloob Maontin, Mosul Governate) 4, 5, 6 Brigades; Al Madina Al Munawara Armoured Division (Al Rashedia Camp/Al Taji Camp) 2, 10, 14, 17 Brigades; and the Al Abed Infantry Division (Khaled Camp, Kirkuk) with the 38, 39, and 40 Brigades. The Southern Corps had three divisions including the Hammurabi Division.

2003 U.S. Invasion

''See article:

Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...

The Republican Guard was subordinate to the "Special Security Apparatus of the State" and not to the

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

as was the regular

. It was split into two Corps, one for the defense and control of northern Iraq, called "Allah Akbar Operations Command", composed of infantry and armoured units, and the "Fat'h al-Mubayyin Operations Command" composed primarily of mechanized units, which was located in the southern part of the country. In 2002, it was reported that the Republican Guard and the Fedayeen Saddam were both training for

urban warfare Urban warfare is warfare in urban areas such as towns and cities. Urban combat differs from combat in the open at both Military operation, operational and the Military tactics, tactical levels. Complicating factors in urban warfare include the p ...

and

guerrilla Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, Partisan (military), partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include Children in the military, recruite ...

warfare. The Republican Guard then consisted of between 50,000 and 60,000 men (although some sources cite up to 80,000), all volunteers, and some 750 Soviet T-72 and Asad Babil tanks and scores of T-55 and T-62 tanks, along with other mechanized vehicles. A further 90-100 T-72 tanks were operated by the

. These forces were intentionally placed far from the capital for averting a possible rebellion against the regime. The members of this body of the army were provided with better pay, equipment, and training. They formed a special corps, with the ability to buy houses, while also being given other privileges to ensure loyalty to the regime. On 23 March, 2003, the 2nd Al Medina Armored Division and 6th Nebuchadnezzer Mechanized Division tasked with defending the Karbala Gap fought well, disrupting a strong attack conducted by the 11th Aviation Group ("11th Attack Helicopter Regiment"), damaging thirty Apaches and shooting down one, later capturing the crew consisting of David Williams and Ronald Young, both chief warrant officers. This delayed advances from the Apache unit, as the helicopters were under-repair. At least 2 Apaches of the helicopter regiment were damaged beyond repair. On 2 April 2003, the Iraqi units positioned around Karbala shot down a U.S. Army Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk helicopter, killing seven soldiers and wounding four. Iraqi forces also shot down an FA-18 Hornet near Karbala around 8.45 AM local time. On 7 April 2003, an Iraqi Special Republican Guard FROG-7 rocket or an Ababil-100 SSM missile exploded among the parked vehicles of the headquarters of 2nd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, killing two soldiers (Private 1st Class Anthony Miller and Staff Sergeant Lincoln Hollinsaid) and two embedded journalists (Julio Parrado and Christian Liebig), wounding 15 and destroying 17 military vehicles. On 8 April 2003, some 500 Iraqis (including Special Republican Guard) mounted a fierce counterattack across the Jumhuriya Bridge in Baghdad, forcing a part of the U.S. forces on the western side of Baghdad to initially abandon their positions, but the Iraqis reportedly lost 50 soldiers in the fight because of A-10 Warthogs deployed by the

USAF The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

. Though, an A-10 attack plane was shot down while combating the counterattack by an Iraqi surface-to-air missile.

2003 Order of Battle

* 1st Republican Guard (Southern) Corps ** 2nd ''Al Medina'' Armored Division; 2nd, 10th and 14th Brigades. ** 5th ''Baghdad'' Mechanized Division; including the 4th, 5th, and 6th Motorized Brigades. ** 7th ''Adnan'' Infantry Division; 11th, 12th, 21st, and Divisional Artillery Brigades. * 2nd Republican Guard (Northern) Corps ** ''Al Nida'' Armored Division; 41st, 42nd, 43rd Brigades. ** 6th ''Nebuchadnezzer'' Mechanized Division; 19th, 22nd and 23rd Brigades. ** 1st Hammurabi Armoured Division - possibly with Western Desert Force; 8th, 9th Mechanized Brigades, 18th Armored, Division Artillery Brigade. * ''As Saiqa'' Special Forces Division - independent unit containing: **

Special forces Special forces or special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

brigade **

Paratrooper A paratrooper or military parachutist is a soldier trained to conduct military operations by parachuting directly into an area of operations, usually as part of a large airborne forces unit. Traditionally paratroopers fight only as light infa ...

brigade ** Marine brigade ** Numerous

units On 2 April 2003, U.S. Army Brigadier General

Vincent K. Brooks Vincent Keith Brooks (born 24 October 1958) is a retired United States Army General (United States), general who last commanded United States Forces Korea, United Nations Command, and ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command. He previously served as the ...

said that the Baghdad Division of the Iraqi Republican Guard had been "destroyed". Iraqi information minister Muhammad Saeed al-Sahhaf responded that this was another U.S. "lie". The Republican Guard was officially dissolved on 23 May 2003 per Order 2 of the

Coalition Provisional Authority The Coalition Provisional Authority (; , CPA) was a Provisional government, transitional government of Iraq established following the 2003 invasion of Iraq, invasion of the country on 19 March 2003 by Multi-National Force – Iraq, U.S.-led Co ...

under Administrator

Paul Bremer Lewis Paul Bremer III (born September 30, 1941) is a retired American diplomat. He was the second ''de facto'' head of state of Iraq as leader of the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) following the 2003 invasion of Iraq by the United State ...

. In early 2004, British journalist Sean Langan confirmed that one of the local commanders of the guerrilla stronghold of Ramadi was a former Republican Guard officer. In late April 2004, a Pentagon report claimed that members of the Special Republican Guard had regrouped in the guerrilla stronghold of Fallujah. After dismissal, many members of the Republican Guard went on to join Sunni insurgent groups, including groups such as The Return (al-Awda),

Naqshbandi Army The Army of the Men of the Naqshbandi Order ( ''Jaysh Rijāl al-Ṭarīqah al-Naqshbandiyya;'' JRTN), also known as the Naqshbandi Army, is one of a number of underground Ba'athism, Ba'athist militant insurgency groups fighting U.S.-led Multi-Nat ...

(JRTN),

Islamic Army in Iraq The Islamic Army in Iraq (, IAI) was an underground Islamist militant organization formed in Iraq following the 2003 invasion of Iraq by U.S.-led Coalition forces, and the subsequent collapse of the Ba'athist regime headed by Saddam Hussein. ...

and the

Islamic State The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadism, Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS ...

In popular culture

* In the television show '' Lost'', one of the main characters -

Sayid Jarrah Sayid Hassan Jarrah (, ''Sa‘īd Ḥassān Jarrāḥ'') is a fictional character from the ABC show '' Lost'' portrayed by Naveen Andrews. Appearances Prior to the crash Sayid originally served as a communications officer in Iraq's Special Re ...

- served in the Republican Guard during the 1991 Persian

Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

. During his service, he was a soldier, a communications officer and an interrogator. The majority of his background story revolves around the guilt he has felt towards people he's tortured in the past. *The Republican Guard appeared in an episode of '' Deadliest Warrior'' as

's personal bodyguards and elite troops as they fought against

Pol Pot Pol Pot (born Saloth Sâr; 19 May 1925 – 15 April 1998) was a Cambodian politician, revolutionary, and dictator who ruled the communist state of Democratic Kampuchea from 1976 until Cambodian–Vietnamese War, his overthrow in 1979. During ...

Khmer Rouge The Khmer Rouge is the name that was popularly given to members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK), and by extension to Democratic Kampuchea, which ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. The name was coined in the 1960s by Norodom Sihano ...

. * The video game, '' Conflict: Desert Storm'' series feature soldiers of the

Ba'athist Ba'athism, also spelled Baathism, is an Arab nationalist ideology which advocates the establishment of a unified Arab state through the rule of a Ba'athist vanguard party operating under a revolutionary socialist framework. The ideology ...

Iraqi Republican Guard as the main enemies. * The video game '' BlackSite: Area 51'' features the Iraqi Republican Guard as the main enemies in the first episode, ''Iraq''. *In the

Tom Clancy Thomas Leo Clancy Jr. (April 12, 1947 – October 1, 2013) was an American novelist. He is best known for his technically detailed espionage and military science, military-science storylines set during and after the Cold War. Seventeen of ...

video game ''Splinter Cell: Conviction'', the Republican Guard is the enemy force in the level ''Diwaniya, Iraq''. This level is a flashback to when the series protagonist, Sam Fisher, was captured by the Iraqi Republican Guard on the

during the 1991 Gulf War. *In the 2021 video game ''House of Ashes'', one of the main protagonists is a Republican Guard officer in the 2003 war - Lt. Salim Othman (voiced by Nick Tarabay); being the first playable Republican Guard soldier in a video game. Salim takes part in an ambush against US troops (mainly U.S. Marines) alongside his non-playable superior, Captain Dar Basri (voiced by Nabeel El Khafif). Lieutenant Salim is presented as a sympathetic character, while Dar is an unrepenting antagonist of the Americans.

Notes

References

External links

Key Components of the Iraqi Ground Forces

The Republican Guard: outgunned and outnumbered, but they never surrender

(USA Today) {{DEFAULTSORT:Republican Guard (Iraq) Former guards regiments Military units and formations established in 1980 Military units and formations disestablished in 2003 Military units and formations of the Cold War Military units and formations of the Gulf War Organizations of the 1991 Iraqi uprisings Disbanded military units and formations of Iraq in the Iraq War 1969 establishments in Iraq 2003 disestablishments in Iraq