Iraqi 36th Commando Battalion

The 36th Commando Battalion (36th CDO BN) is one of several Iraqi special operations forces units created after the fall of the Saddam Hussein. Originally part of the Iraqi Special Operations Forces Brigade (ISOF BDE), the unit has a role comparable to that of the United States Army Rangers. The unit is now designated as the 1st Commando Battalion, part of the 1st Special Operations Brigade (ISOF-1).

The unit was formerly known as the 36th Iraqi Civil Defense Corps Battalion.

History


On 25 November 2003, a decision was made between the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), the Commander United States Central Command (CDRCENTCOM), the Commander Combined Joint Task Force 7 (CDR CJTF-7), and the Iraqi Governing Council (IGC). These elements agreed to form a Baghdad-based, 500-man battalion by integrating militiamen from five (5) Political Parties: Iraqi National Accord (INA), Iraqi National Congress (INC), Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP), Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), and Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI). The idea was to create a special forces unit that would be composed of Iraqis from various ethnic and religious groups.

In late 2003, the CJSOTF-AP (Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Arabian Peninsula) made plans to put the 36th CDO BN under the control of the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Force (ICTF). Initial recruits sent to be trained with the 36th CDO BN were given table tennis paddles to publicly hide their activities that they were going for SOF training. Recruits who changed their mind to join the battalion were taken off the roster. The unit changed its name to the 1st Commando Battalion after the Iraqi Special Operations Forces (ISOF) Brigade was created in July 2005. During the war against the Islamic State in 2017, the battalion was known to be militarily and politically reliable as they fought ISIL fighters instead of abandoning their positions unlike other military units like the Iraqi Army's 2nd Division.

Operations
36th CDO BN forces were involved in Najaf in August 2004, nearly raiding Sadr's hideout if he did not choose to give up. In November 2004, 36th CDO BN forces were deployed to Fallujah alongside US Marines to flush out anti-government insurgents, taking control of a hospital from insurgents. They were also involved in Samarra, engaged in anti-insurgency operations in September 2004.

The 36th CDO BN was involved in anti-ISIL operations, engaging ISIL fighters in Mosul in 2017.

Organization
The 36th CDO BN was organized based on the structure of the US Army Special Forces.

In 2004, the 36th CDO BN had 400 operators, trained by 17 US Special Forces advisors.

As of 2023, the unit is under the command of the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service.