The Counter Terrorism Service (CTS; ) is an independent, quasi-ministerial level organization separate from the Iraqi Ministry of Defense (MoD) and Ministry of the Interior (MoI), tasked with counterterrorism.

It has a two-tiered organizational structure which consists of the CTS headquarters and the Counter Terrorism Command (CTC). The latter commands the Iraqi Special Operations Forces (ISOF; ), currently consisting of three brigades based in several governorates. They are often collectively referred to as the Golden Division. They are part of the Iraqi Armed Forces and report directly to the Prime Minister of Iraq.

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 of 2013–2017. ISOF have conducted joint operations with the Green Berets.

History

Special forces 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.Eisenstadt, Jane's Intelligence Review.

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.

In late 2003, a commando battalion was recruited from scratch, mostly from Arabs (Shias and Sunnis), but also Kurds, 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 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.

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 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.

In December 2007, the ICTS had an authorized strength of around 4,100 personnel but was only manned at about 3,500.U.S. DOD, Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq, December 2007, Report to Congress in accordance with the Department of Defense Appropriations Act 2007 (Section 9010, Public Law 109–289), 50, http://www.defense.gov/pubs/pdfs/FINALSecDef%20Signed-20071214.pdf (accessed July 29, 2014)

The 2nd Special Operations Forces brigade (ISOF-2) was formed in July 2009.

By mid 2010, the 1st ISOF Brigade had 2,793 personnel, and the 2nd ISOF Brigade had 1,633 personnel. A few hundred personnel from other units were transferred to help easy manpower pressures. 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."2 Most Wanted Al Qaeda Leaders in Iraq Killed by U.S., Iraqi Forces" FoxNews, 19 April 2010.

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 [U.S.] support) had become a jack-of-all-trades that was being tasked to deal with the upheaval in Iraq." At the time, 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.

In 2014, Iraq re-invited the United States, this time in order to assist the country in its fight against the Islamic State. Following the return of the United States forces and the subsequent establishment of the anti-ISIS Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve, ISOF began a new partnership with USSOF.

In the Battle of Mosul that began in October 2016, ISOF 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 were not 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.

CTS force strength fluctuated sharply due to losses and replacements: roughly 13,000 before the ISIS offensive, down to about 6,500 by early 2015, then rebuilt to around 10,000–11,000 by the start of the Mosul battle and afterward.

During its fight against ISIS in 2014–2017, ISOF gained valuable experience and has since undertaken "industrial scale" counterterrorism operations in Iraq while maintaining a sustained operational tempo unmatched by any other special operations force in the world.

Command structure

CTS and CTC leadership consists of Iraqi army generals while exercising significant administrative and operational autonomy and having a chain of command separate from that of the regular army. 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. A commando battalion has around 400 personnel, while a STU battalion has around 300, due to its more specialized role.

Overall ISOF consist of sixteen commando battalions, two special tactics unit (STU) battalions, three reconnaissance battalions, and three support battalions.

1st Special Operations Brigade (ISOF-1) 1st Battalion (Commando) – Former 36th Battalion 2nd Battalion (ICTF) 3rd Battalion (Support) 5th Battalion (Reconnaissance) 1st Special Tactics Unit (STU) Battalion 2nd Special Tactics Unit (STU) Battalion Anbar Battalion Babel Battalion

The first brigade is based in Baghdad but conducts nationwide operations. They were previously referred to as the Golden Brigade. Its current commander is Maj. Gen. Nizar Muzhir.

2nd Special Operations Brigade (ISOF-2) Reconnaissance Battalion Mosul Battalion Battalion Kirkuk Battalion Diyala Battalion Salah ad-Din Battalion Wasit Battalion Support Battalion

The second brigade operates in Nineveh, Saladin, Kirkuk, Diyala, Anbar and Karbala. Its current commander is Maj. Gen. Marwan Abdulkarim.

3rd Special Operations Brigade (ISOF-3) Reconnaissance Battalion Basra Battalion Diwaniya Battalion Maysan Battalion Najaf Battalion Muthanna Battalion Dhi Qar Battalion Support Battalion

The third brigade operates in Basra, Babylon, Najaf, Maysan, Dhi Qar, Muthanna and Qadisiyah. Additionally, the brigade maintains a reconnaissance battalion, a support battalion, and a STU, as well as a hostage rescue and maritime piracy response battalion. Its current commander is Brig. Gen. Muntadhar Salim.

Academia 1st School (Special Operations) 2nd School (Counter Terrorism) 3rd School (Prep & Development)

Formerly the 4th Battalion of the 1st ISOF Brigade, developed into an institute responsible for screening and training new recruits for the CTC. Located in Baghdad, its current president is Maj. Gen. Arkan Jalal.

Equipment

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

Submachine guns H&K MP5

Shotguns Mossberg 500 Benelli M4

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

Sources