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On the outskirts of this former insurgent stronghold, Munir Ibrahim Ismail and his family have taken up residence in an American military latrine. They picked up the trailer full of toilets at a junkyard for about $5,000 — less than it would have cost them to build a real house — and set to work. They tore out the toilet bowls and scrubbed the trailer for days with disinfectant. They ripped off tiles, poured a concrete floor and added a window. They erected a divider to create two rooms and tacked on a concrete kitchen at the back. Presto! A...

Soldiers from the 1st Advise and Assist Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division and Air Force F-16 fighters teamed for four days with the 17th Iraqi Army Division conducting a full-scale defensive-fires exercise at the Besmaya Range Complex outside Baghdad. The exercise was designed to show the full training possibilities available from individual weapons qualification to full-scale exercises to Iraqi Army and Iraqi Federal Police commanders from across the city. "The main purpose was to show the Iraqi Security Forces how they can best utilize the range," said Maj. Robert Olszewski, the 1st AAB information operations officer. He said the joint training...

Soldiers serving on Camp Taji, Iraq, trained Iraqi troops on the fundamentals of marksmanship with the M-16 rifle, June 15. The training was part of a continued effort by the U.S. to phase out the Iraqi Army's use of the Soviet-era AK-47 Kalashnikov assault rifle. The swap between the two weapons has gun-enthusiasts across the military and social-media sites up-in-arms, as fans of both weapons debate the practicality of the initiative. The AK-47, which has become symbolic of Middle Eastern militaries, has been used by the Iraqi Army since the 1960s. The weapon is less accurate than the western M-16...

Iraq was said to have relayed a formal request for the F-16 multi-role fighter from the United States. Industry sources said the Iraqi Defense Ministry has submitted a request for 24 F-16s from Washington. They said the request was relayed in March 2010 and called for delivery of the aircraft over the next two years. "Iraq has finally and formally requested 24 F-16s from the United States," D.J. Elliot, author of the blog "Iraqi Security Forces Order of Battle," said. "Delivery could start as early as next year, but likely in 2012/13 time frame." Industry sources confirmed the Iraqi request....

In August 2007 and June 2008, monster articles were written projecting the Iraqi Security Forces planned development by 2012 and, in some cases, beyond. In 2009 those projections were updated with a series of articles ending with projected Iraqi Total Force Mobilization published in August 2009. There have been enough changes to warrant an update to that article and a summary of current and projected ISF structure. Since the Iraqi Army does not have a reserve, the Ministry of Interior (MoI) paramilitary police forces augment them in a wartime mobilization. The Iraqi Security Forces include elements that remain employed in...

The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) is likely to find itself the target of more criticism after a Dallas immigration judge ordered one of their former board members deported due to terror connections. Nabil Sadoun, a leader in the Dallas Islamic community, had already left the United States for his native Jordan at the time of the ruling and Judge Anthony Rogers said that by taking such action he had waived his right to appeal the case. Dallas-Fort Worth news reports: In court, the judge made vague references to the government’s voluminous motion to deport him, including alleged involvement...

Question for Americans: How can we as a nation even consider using our military for another "surge" in Afghanistan when the "surge" in Iraq has left little more imprint on the sands of Mesopotamia than the receding tide? This, to clarify, is not the antiwar Left writing. I am writing from a pro-military, anti-jihad point of view that has long seen futility in the U.S. nation-building strategy in Iraq, and now sees futility in the rerun in Afghanistan. Problem is, the same blind spot afflicts both strategies: the failure to understand that an infidel nation cannot fight for the soul...

Iraqi citizens unload bottled water provided by provincial security forces and coalition forces during a joint civil affairs operation in Ramadi, Iraq, July 1. Provincial security forces brought water, as well as food, soccer balls and other useful items to give to local residents. Photo by Staff Sgt. David Stankus. AL ANBAR PROVINCE — Iraqi Security Forces visited various locations within eastern Anbar province and conducted repairs at different schools and clinics during a larger security force operation that recently concluded in early July 2009.These missions were made possible by the in-depth coordination between Iraqi Police, provincial security forces, Iraqi...

A Soldier with the 1st Cavalry Division speaks to an Iraqi child during Operation Warhorse Scimitar in west Mosul, recently. The child was running up and down this alley way giving high-fives to Soldiers. Photo by Jared Sollars, 1st Cavalry Division. MOSUL — Insurgents thought they'd found a haven in Old Town, this city's oldest neighborhood on the west side.  That was until the Mosul Iraqi National Police Brigade and 1st Cavalry Division Soldiers joined forces recently for an operation designed to conduct an accurate census and deny insurgents and criminals the use of the land. "Operation Warhorse Scimitar was...

Army Spc. Adam Feldon talks with an Iraqi boy May 4, 2009, as a patrol of Pennsylvania Army National Guard Soldiers and Iraqi Police officers moves through Taji Market, north of Baghdad. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Doug Roles. TAJI — Iraqi Security Forces and U.S. Soldiers have been hitting the streets, working together to maintain security in Taji Market, one of the busiest sectors of the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team’s area of operations north of Baghdad. The market is a lynchpin in the security effort because it’s where the lives of locals intertwine. “Being the main market area, that’s...

Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers, along with an Iraqi Soldier and policeman, ready themselves during a rehearsal in front of division headquarters on Camp Liberty Feb. 8. Photo by Sgt. Whitney Houston. CAMP LIBERTY — Honor guards, comprised of Soldiers chosen for their professionalism and attention to detail, are symbols of history and pride, manifesting the best military’s offer with their pinpoint movements and traditions. Soldiers serving with 1st Cavalry Division and 4th Infantry Division teamed with members of the Iraqi Army and Iraqi National Police to form a premiere honor guard for the Multi-National Division - Baghdad’s transfer of...

Election posters line a wall in the Doura area of the Rashid District of Baghdad, Jan. 29. The provincial elections are scheduled for Jan. 31. Citizens have more than 4,000 candidates to choose from to fill the 440 seats. Photo by Sgt. DaleAnne Maxwell, 4th Infantry Division Public Affairs. BAGHDAD — Thousands of Iraqi citizens will have the opportunity to select their new provincial leaders Jan. 31 by casting their vote at one of the many polling sites throughout the city. It’s the job of the Iraq Security Forces to provide the security for these voters. The ISF cast their...

A truckload of Iraqi Policemen head to a local voting station in Baghdad's Adhamiyah district, Jan. 28, 2009, to cast their vote in the country's second election since the fall of Saddam Hussein. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Jerry Saslav. CAMP VICTORY — During the 2005 provincial Iraqi elections, voters had their fingers stained with election ink to prevent them from voting twice. Some held their fingers up in pride as they took part in democracy; others hid their faces from cameras, afraid of becoming victims of sectarian violence. This year, ink or not, Iraqi Security Forces will make their...

BASRA — Iraqi Security Forces recently uncovered hundreds of historical artifacts during two raids in northern Basra. The 228 ancient artifacts included Sumerian and Babylonian sculpture, gold jewelry and other items from ancient Mesopotamia.“This is my favorite item,” said Iraqi Col. Ali Sabah, commander of the Basra Emergency Battalion that led the operation, holding a piece of gold jewelry. “It’s gold from the Babylon ages and about 6,000 years old. It doesn’t have a price.”“I’m very happy because this is my civilization’s heritage,” he said.The Basra Emergency Battalion led raid operated from tips that smugglers intended to remove the...

Iraqi Soldiers from the 4th Battalion, 54th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, prepare to conduct an operation with Coalition forces from Multi-National Division – Baghdad in the Ameriyah District of northwest Baghdad Dec. 20. The operation netted a number of illegal weapons and displayed the abilities of the Iraqi Security Forces to plan and execute a combat operation. Photo by 1st Infantry Division Public Affairs. BAGHDAD — Iraqi Security Forces, with the assistance of Coalition forces, conducted Operation ‘Foul Dagger’ Dec. 20 in the Ghazaliyah and Ameriyah Districts of northwest Baghdad. The purpose of the mission was to deter a...

The Long Knife Brigade command staff meets with Iraqi security officials from southern Iraq to discuss boarder enforcement during the Maysan Security Conference held near Amarah, Iraq, Nov. 15. Photo by Staff Sgt. Brendan Stephens. FORWARD OPERATING BASE GARRY OWEN — For the first time in the Maysan province, leaders from the Iraqi Army, Police and border patrol met with coalition leaders near the provincial capital of Amarah Nov. 15. The 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division leaders worked behind the scenes for weeks to bring together commanders from the 11th Border Enforcement, the 38th and 41st Iraqi Army...

Babil and Wasit are next on the list for Provincial Iraqi Control. The Air Force may be getting F-16s while the Army trains more forces for air assault missions.

The September 2008 updates to the Iraqi Security Forces Order of Battle are now available at the ISF OOB homepage. The significant changes to the Order of Battle that occurred in August are summarized below.

The August 2008 updates to the Iraqi Security Forces Order of Battle are now available at the ISF OOB homepage. The significant changes to the Order of Battle that occurred in July are summarized below. There are major changes to the order of battle pages and map due to new formations, re-subordinations, and reorganizations.

CAMP VICTORY — Coalition forces once named the predominantly Sunni area in central Iraq, consisting of the cities of Yusuifiyah, Mahmudiyah, Iskandariyah and Latifiyah, the “Triangle of Death.” The troop surge initiated in 2007 neutralized much of the area enabling Iraqi Security Forces to take a leading role in the securing the region. An uprising there in March raised concerns and directed attention to the Iraqi Security Forces operating in that area; Coalition forces feared the ISF would struggle to maintain rule of law in the communities. “We got word that special group members were going to be coming down...