The Special Republican Guard was formed from the Iraqi Republican Guard founded in either 1992 or 1995 in the nation of Iraq. The Special Republican Guard was charged with protecting the president, Saddam Hussein, and responding to any threat to his power, such as a rebellion or coup, and protecting Baghdad.
The Special Republican Guard received better pay and benefits than members of the Republican Guard and regular Iraqi Army. In 2002 there were reportedly 12,000 members of the Special Republican Guard, drawn primarily from clans loyal to Saddam Hussein and his regime. As many as five brigades containing 14 battalions, including air defense, armor, and artillery were reported to be in existence at that time. The Special Republican Guard ceased to exist with the defeat of Iraq in April 2003, by members of a U.S.-led coalition in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Former members of the Special Republican Guard are suspected of carrying out insurgent attacks on coalition forces in Iraq.
The SRG was filled with recruits drawn from Tikrit, Baiji, al-Sharqat and small towns south and west of Mosul and around Baghdad -- areas and clans noted for their loyalty Saddam's person and regime.
The SpecialRepublicanGuard was responsible for, among other things, the security of the capital, Baghdad, as well as Saddam's family palaces and other vital facilities of the regime.
The patrol squad is distributed at the Republican Palace, Hayy Amil and Amiriyah.
RepublicanGuard commanders received a lot of cash, a "secure" relocation outside of Iraq, and crucially for those not considered war criminals, the promise of a new job in post-Saddam Iraq.
RepublicanGuard commanders told the rank-and-file that the resistance would be secret and long-term, according to Saddam and Qusay's long-elaborated scenario of a guerrilla war.
The RepublicanGuard commanders were about to be airlifted out of Iraq, and their soldiers had orders to demobilize and melt into the civilian population.
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