Free Iraqi Forces
| Free Iraqi Forces (FIF) | |
|---|---|
Flag of the Free Iraqi Forces (FIF), seen on Free Iraqi Forces militiamen’s uniform as a flag sleeve patch, and sometimes flown during the invasion of Iraq. | |
| Supreme Commander | Aras Habib |
| Dates of operation | 1991–present |
| Allegiance | Iraq |
| Headquarters | Baghdad, Iraq |
| Active regions | Iraq |
| Ideology | Civic nationalism State capitalism[1] Decentralization[1] Secularism[2] Welfarism[3] Federalism[4] Feyli interests (alleged, denied)[5] Anti-Ba'athism |
| Allies | State allies: (1991–2006) Iran Iraqi Kurdistan United Arab Emirates France UK Russia Jordan South Korea Japan Kuwait China Non-state allies: Hezbollah |
| Opponents | State opponents: Baathist Iraq Non-state opponents: People's Mujahedin of Iran |
| Battles and wars | Iraq War |
The Free Iraqi Forces (FIF) is a militia made up of Iraqi expatriates, who served in the 2003 invasion of Iraq and its aftermath, under the control of Ahmed Chalabi's Iraqi National Congress government-in-exile. The specifically paramilitary branch of the program was also known as the Free Iraqi Fighting Forces (FIFF), while other elements served as interpreters or on civil affairs projects.[6][7]
Composition
The original intent of the American Office of the Secretary of Defense was to recruit and train 3,000 Iraqi expatriates in Taszar, Hungary in preparation for the war.[6] Recruitment, however, fell well below the target number, and were of dubious military utility, ranging from ages 18 to 55.[8]
Operations
The program was seen as unsuccessful, with at one point some US$63 million spent to recruit and train 69 troops for the FIF, and the program was dissolved in April 2003. The FIFF never numbered more than 500 troops.[9] The units were also seen as undisciplined and pro-Shia and anti-Sunni, and engaged in looting.[10]
References
- ^ a b "Iraqi National Congress". Archived from the original on 14 July 2014.
- ^ "Iraqi National Congress | Iraqi Parliament Guide". Archived from the original on 2014-07-26. Retrieved 2014-07-21.
- ^ "Iraqi National Congress | Iraqi Parliament Guide". Archived from the original on 2014-07-26. Retrieved 2014-07-21.
- ^ "Iraqi National Congress | Iraqi Parliament Guide". Archived from the original on 2014-07-26. Retrieved 2014-07-21.
- ^ "Iraqi National Congress | Iraqi Parliament Guide". Archived from the original on 2014-07-26. Retrieved 2014-07-21.
- ^ a b Catherine Dale (April 2011). Operation Iraqi Freedom: Strategies, Approaches, Results, and Issues for Congress. DIANE Publishing. pp. 48–. ISBN 978-1-4379-2030-7.
- ^ Nathan Hodge (15 February 2011). Armed Humanitarians: The Rise of the Nation Builders. Bloomsbury USA. pp. 66–. ISBN 978-1-60819-017-1.
- ^ Sheldon Rampton; John Clyde Stauber (2003). Weapons of Mass Deception: The Uses of Propaganda in Bush's War on Iraq. Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin. pp. 61–. ISBN 978-1-58542-276-0.
- ^ Beth K. Dougherty; Edmund A. Ghareeb (7 November 2013). Historical Dictionary of Iraq. Scarecrow Press. pp. 299–. ISBN 978-0-8108-7942-3.
- ^ Anthony H. Cordesman; Emma R. Davies (30 December 2007). Iraq's Insurgency and the Road to Civil Conflict. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 58–. ISBN 978-0-313-34998-0.