Iraq rebuilds special forces to check Al-Qaeda recovery


In depth
Issue 953 - 05 Sep 2013 | 6 minute read

In the midst of a resurgent security crisis, the embattled government of Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki is grasping at an ambitious plan to expand the country’s special forces, apparently preferring a security-led approach to a full commitment to sectarian reconciliation. It is a plan which, under scrutiny, appears to be more difficult and less decisive than Baghdad hopes
By April 2010, when a US guided bomb killed Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) emir Abu Omar Al-Baghdadi and military commander Abu Ayyub Al-Masri, the US’ Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) had man-hunting in Iraq down to a fine art. GSN readers will remember the blow-by-blow coverage of Iraq’s security comeback in 2008-10, an important aspect of which was the defeat of AQI.

Want to read more?

Extra Large Article

£595

(Access to one GSN article)

Subscribe to Gulf States Newsletter

View subscription options

Join our community

Sign up for an account to gain:

  • Set up news alerts on the countries and sectors that matter to you.
  • Free access to newsletter articles under 100 words.
  • Free access to GSN View articles articles.


View a selection of Free articles

Explore subscription options

Follow us on Google News