Location; Baghdad, Iraq
Type: Military
Baghdad Operations Command are part of the armed forces in Iraq and report to the National Operations Center. They, particularly, have had to deal with the threat of IEDs for many years. They are used by the many insurgency groups that operate across Iraq, and for which Baghdad is a prominent target. Due to this they have had a lot of experience with IEDs.
Like most of the Iraqi Security Forces they have asked for training specifically on C-IED. This is why Baghdad Operations Command have also received training from a variety of international forces. For example, the UK has played a significant role in training the Iraqi soldiers at Baghdad Operations Command, with a significant part of this training including C-IED tactics.
They have trained in C-IED, from searching/detecting to destroying the device and defeating the network.
They are now thought to be increasingly competent at dealing with IED threats. Throughout 2016 there have been many news articles in regard to their dismantling of IEDs. For example, see here.
They have also seized weapons including IEDs and the materials to make them, alongside other weapons.
This profile is part of AOAV’s investigation into counter-IED (C-IED) actors around the globe. To see the list of all C-IED actors recorded by AOAV, see here. To see those engaged in the Middle East, the Sahel, North Africa or other highly impacted countries please see here, here, here, and here respectively. This research was made possible by funding from the NATO Counter Improvised Explosive Devices Centre of Excellence (C-IED COE). To read the full report, ‘Addressing the threat posed by IEDs: National, Regional and Global Initiatives’, see here.
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