Iraqi President Saddam Hussein talks with elite Republican Guard officers in Baghdad on March 1, 2003.[1] Iraqi News Agency/AP.

The Iraqi Republican Guard (RG) was the core of the Iraqi military. It was originally formed to be Saddam Hussein's bodyguard but was expanded into a large military force. It was disbanded during the Iraq War. Image File history File links Republicanguard. ... Image File history File links Republicanguard. ... Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti, (Arabic ), born April 28, 1937 , was the President of Iraq from 1979 until the United States-led invasion of Iraq reached Baghdad on April 9, 2003. ... Iraqi soldiers from the 2nd Iraqi Army Brigade, train on cordon and search procedures at Diyala Regional Training Facility in August 2005. ... Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti, (Arabic ), born April 28, 1937 , was the President of Iraq from 1979 until the United States-led invasion of Iraq reached Baghdad on April 9, 2003. ... A bodyguard is a person who protects someone (known as their principal) from personal assault, kidnapping, assassination, loss of confidential information, or other threats. ... Combatants Republic of Iraq (Saddam Hussein regime), Baath Loyalists, Iraqi insurgency Al Qaeda United States, United Kingdom, Multinational force in Iraq, New Iraqi Army Casualties Iraqi military dead(Saddam-era): 6,000-30,000 Insurgents dead: estimated at 55,000 [1] Civilian dead: 30,000-100,000 Total dead...

There were between 80,000 and 100,000 troops in the Republican Guard itself, and an additional 15,000-20,000 troops in the Special Republican Guard (SRG). Not counting troops of the SRG, the Republican Guard fielded 2 Corps, consisting of 1 infantry division, 1 Special Forces Division, 2 mechanized divisions, and 3 armored divisions. The Special Republican Guard consisted of 4 brigades and 2 commands. The Special Republican Guard was formed from the Iraqi Republican Guard founded in either 1992 or 1995 in the nation of Iraq. ... Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I. An infantry is a body of soldiers who fight primarily on foot with small arms in organized military units, though they may be transported to the battlefield by horses, ships, automobiles, skis, or other... Symbol of the Polish 1st Legions Infantry Division in NATO code A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of around ten to fifteen thousand soldiers. ... Special forces or special operations forces are military units which are formed and trained to conduct missions involving unconventional warfare, Counter-Terrorism, reconnaissance, direct action and foreign internal defence. ... Mechanized military units are otherwise slow-moving or immobile military units that have had trucks or other ground transport systems added to their formation to add to or improve their mobility. ... Alternative meanings: vehicle armour, Armor (novel) A hoplite wearing a helmet, a breastplate and greaves (and nothing else). ... Brigade is a term from military science which refers to military echelon under a division, above a regiment where that exists as such, nowadays often a group of several battalions (typically two to four), and directly attached supporting units (normally including at least an artillery battery and additional logistic support). ...

The Republican Guard were regular, uniformed troops, unlike the paramilitary Fedayeen. Fedayeen Saddam (فدائيي صدام) was a paramilitary organization loyal to the former Baathist regime of Saddam Hussein. ...

Prior to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the Republican Guard was located along the Tigris, to the north and south of Baghdad. The SRG was positioned along the Tigris, just south of the capital. Combatants Coalition Forces (United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Poland) Iraq Commanders Tommy Franks Saddam Hussein Strength 263,000 375,000 The 2003 invasion of Iraq, termed Operation Iraqi Freedom by the US administration, began on March 20. ... The Tigris River (Arabic: دجلة Dijla, Hebrew: חדקל ḥiddeqel, Kurdish: Dîjle, Pahlavi: Tigr, Old Persian: Tigrā-, Syriac: ܕܩܠܬ Deqlath, Turkish: Dicle, Akkadian: Idiqlat) is the eastern member of the pair of great rivers that define Mesopotamia, along with the Euphrates, which flows from the mountains of Anatolia through Iraq (the name Mesopotamia... Location of Baghdad within Iraq Baghdad (Arabic: ‎ translit: , Kurdish: Bexda, from Persian Baagh-daad or Bag-Da-Du meaning “Garden of God” [1]) is the capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate. ...

In 2002, it was reported that the Republican Guard and the Fedayeen Saddam were both training in urban street fighting and in guerilla warfare. It is largely believed that some of the former Republican Guard forces loyal to Saddam Hussein are still fighting on the ground as guerilla insurgents after the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Fedayeen Saddam (فدائيي صدام) was a paramilitary organization loyal to the former Baathist regime of Saddam Hussein. ... Combatants Coalition Forces (United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Poland) Iraq Commanders Tommy Franks Saddam Hussein Strength 263,000 375,000 The 2003 invasion of Iraq, termed Operation Iraqi Freedom by the US administration, began on March 20. ...

Order of battle

• 1st Republican Guard (Northern) Corps
  • 2nd Al Medina Armored Division
  • 5th Baghdad Mechanized Division; a square division of four brigades, was able to be split into two small half-divisions.
  • 7th Adnan Infantry Division

• 2nd Republican Guard (Southern) Corps
  • Al Nida Armored Division
  • 6th Nebuchadnezzer Mechanized Division
  • 1st Hammurabi Armored Division

• As Saiqa Special Forces Division- independent unit containing:
  • A Special Forces brigade,
  • Paratroop Brigade,
  • Marine Brigade and
  • numerous Commando units.

Two United States Air Force explosive ordnance technicians search for weapons and ordnance through a former Republican Guard facility near Kirkuk. A portrait of Saddam Hussein is painted on the wall.

• Special Republican Guard
  • 1st Brigade (Security)
  • 2nd Brigade (Combat)
  • 3rd Brigade (Combat)
  • 4th Brigade (Armored)
  • Air Defense Command (Two Regiments, Three Batteries)
  • Tank Command (Two Regiments)

On April 2, 2003, U.S. Brigadier General Vincent Brooks stated that the Baghdad division of the Iraqi Republican Guard had been "destroyed". Iraq information minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf responded that this was another American "lie".[2][3] Special forces or special operations forces are military units which are formed and trained to conduct missions involving unconventional warfare, Counter-Terrorism, reconnaissance, direct action and foreign internal defence. ... An American Paratrooper using a T-10C series parachute Paratroopers are soldiers trained in parachuting and formed into an airborne force. ... A Marine is an elite warrior whose primary function is to serve aboard a ship and/or assault the land from the sea in amphibious warfare. ... The French Navy commando Jaubert storm the Alcyon in a mock assault. ... Download high resolution version (1812x1806, 2485 KB)KIRKUK, Iraq -- Master Sgts. ... Download high resolution version (1812x1806, 2485 KB)KIRKUK, Iraq -- Master Sgts. ... The United States Air Force (or USAF) is the aerospace branch of the United States armed forces and one of the seven uniformed services. ... Ordnance is a general term for a quantity of military equipment, usually specifying the ammunition for artillery, bombs, or other large weapons. ... Kirkuk city centre. ... Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti, (Arabic ), born April 28, 1937 , was the President of Iraq from 1979 until the United States-led invasion of Iraq reached Baghdad on April 9, 2003. ... The Special Republican Guard was formed from the Iraqi Republican Guard founded in either 1992 or 1995 in the nation of Iraq. ... April 2 is the 92nd day of the year (93rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 273 days remaining. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Vincent Keith Brooks (born October 24, 1958) is an American brigadier general, who was the United States Armys Deputy Director of Operations during the War in Iraq. ... Iraqi Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf (also Mohammed Said al-Sahhaf) (born 1940) is an Iraqi diplomat and politician. ...

See also

• Military of Iraq
• Regular Army
• US plan to invade Iraq