Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service
| Iraqi Special Operations Forces | |
|---|---|
ISOF SSI
|
|
| Active | December 26, 2003 – Present |
| Country |
 Iraq
|
| Branch | Iraqi Army |
| Type | Special Forces |
| Size | 18,000 |
| Part of |
 Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service (reports directly to Prime Minister of Iraq) |
| Nickname(s) | Golden division |
| Motto(s) | May you sleep peacefully in your bed tonight for a mighty sword stands ready to strike fear in the hearts of those who would terrorize us! We will bring you to the law, or bring the law to you. |
| Engagements | Anti-guerrilla operations in Iraq as part of the Iraq War Iraqi Civil War (2014–present) |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
Lieutenant-General Talib Shaghati |
| Insignia | |
| ICTB Flag |  |
| ISOF flag |  |
Iraqi Special Operations Forces (ISOF) (Arabic: قوات العمليات الخاصة العراقية), commonly known as the Golden Division, are Iraqi special forces unit created by coalition forces after the 2003 invasion. The forces, directed by the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service, consist of the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Command, which has three brigades subordinate to it. The Counter Terrorism Service (Jihaz Mukafahat al-Irhab, originally translated as Counter Terrorism Bureau) is funded by the Iraq Ministry of Defence.
Special operations troops in the old Iraqi army were first established when Colonel Khaleel Jassim Al-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 in war.
After the 2003 Invasion of Iraq, Iraqi forces were made redundant by the Invasion forces and because of this, the current Iraqi commando force was recruited from scratch, mostly from Shia Arabs, Kurds and few Sunni. In November 2005, after training in Jordan with Jordanian Special Forces and US 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 US Army Infantry battalion, and two support battalions.
In March 2008, the force consisted of a single brigade which in turn was made up of an Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Force (ICTF) battalion, three Commando battalions, a support battalion and a special reconnaissance unit.
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