Iraqi Army

The Iraqi Army is the ground force component of the armed forces of the Republic of Iraq, having been active in various incarnations throughout the 20th century and 21st century.

The Iraqi Army in its modern form was first created by the United Kingdom during the inter-war period of de facto British control of Mandatory Iraq. Following the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the Iraqi Army was rebuilt along American lines with enormous amounts of U.S. military assistance at every level. Because of the Iraqi insurgency that began shortly after the invasion, the Iraqi Army was designed to initially be a counter-insurgency force. With the US withdrawal in December 2011, Iraqi forces have assumed full responsibility for security. A New York Times article suggested that, between 2004 and 2014, the USA had provided the Iraqi Army with $25billion in training and equipment in addition to an even larger sum from the Iraqi treasury.

History

The threat of war with newly forming Republic of Turkey, which claimed the Ottoman vilayet of Mosul as part of their country, led the British to form the Iraqi Army on 6 January 1921. The Mussa Al-Kadhum Brigade consisted of ex-Iraqi-Ottoman officers, whose barracks were located in Kadhimyah. The United Kingdom provided support and training to the Iraqi Army and the Iraqi Air Force through a small military mission based in Baghdad. Iraqi Army Day celebrates the soldiers that fight for Iraq.

Iraqi

Iraqi or Iraqis in plural may refer to: