The Iraqi Special Republican Guard (SRG) (Arabic: Al-Haris al-Jamhuri al-Khas), also known as the Special Forces Brigade of the Presidential Palace,[1] Republican Guard Special Protection Forces,[2] or the Golden Division,[1] was an Iraqi praetorian guard founded in either early 1992 or March 1995 in Iraq. The Special Republican Guard was controlled by the Special Security Organization and charged with protecting President Saddam Hussein, presidential sites, Baghdad, and responding to any rebellion, coup, or other threat to his power.[1]
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 of 1,300-1,500 men each, and also included air defense, armored, and artillery were reported to be in existence at that time. The Special Republican Guard was officially dissolved on May 23, 2003 per CPA Order Number 2 in the wake of the 2003 invasion of Iraq.[3]
Former members of the Special Republican Guard are suspected of carrying out insurgent attacks on coalition forces in Iraq, but also seem to form the cadre around which the various Sons of Iraq or Anbar Awakening home guard militias, funded, trained, equipped and operating along-side American forces are composed of.
The SRG had 13 or 14 battalions and ranged in troop strength from 15,000[2] to 26,000.[4] This may have fallen to 12,000 by 2002.[1]
| Armed Iraqi Groups in the Iraq War and the Civil war in Iraq | |||||
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Shia militia
Kurdish militias
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Sunni militias
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