Fadhil Jamil al-Barwari (1966 – 20 September 2018) was an Iraqi military officer with the rank Major General, who served as the commander of the ISOF-1 brigade, a unit of the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service.[1] He graduated from the Second Iraqi Military Academy in Zakho, and is known for his key role in retaking cities back that were previously controlled by Daesh during the War in Iraq (2013–2017).
Fadhil Jamil al-Barwari | |
|---|---|
 al-Barwari in 2009 | |
| Native name | فاضل جميل البرواري |
| Born | 1 April 1966 Dohuk, Iraq |
| Died | 20 September 2018 (aged 52) Iraq |
| Buried | Dohuk |
| Allegiance |  Peshmerga (1980s–2003) Iraq (2003–2018) |
| Service |  ISOF |
| Years of service | 1980s–2018 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Unit | 1st Iraqi Special Operations Forces Brigade (ISOF-1) |
| Commands | Commander of ISOF-1 |
| Known for | Commanding ISOF-1 in battles against Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) |
| Battles / wars | Iraq War |
Early life and education
editAl-Barwari was born in Duhok in 1966 to Kurdish family from Zahko.[2] Prior to joining the Peshmerga, a Kurdish resistance movement that opposed the Ba'athist government, he attended and graduated from the Second Iraqi Military Academy in Zahko.
He started out as a Lieutenant in 1988, 1st Lieutenant in 1991, Captain in 1992 and Major in 1994 in the Peshmerga. After rejoining, in the new Iraqi Army he became a Lieutenant Colonel in 2003, Colonel in 2005, Brigadier General in 2007 and Finally Major General in 2008.
Career
editAl-Barwari rejoined the Iraqi Army in 2003 after the U.S. invasion. He quickly rose through the ranks of the military ladder, becoming the commanding officer of the Iraqi 36th Commando Battalion in 2004.
In 2005, the first Iraqi Special Operations Forces Brigade (ISOF-1) was formed, and the 36th Commando Battalion was incorporated into the brigade. The 36th Commando Battalion was then renamed the 1st Commando Battalion. Al-Barwari then subsequently became the commander of ISOF-1 Brigade.[3]
In 2007, ISOF-1 was incorporated into the newly founded Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service (ICTS), which is an elite security agency composed of a number of ISOF brigades trained by the Green Berets and equipped with American weaponry.
In April 2012 he was removed from the post of commander of ISOF-1 due to health issues and instead became the advisor to the head of the Counter Terrorism Service at the time, Talib Shaghati.
In August 2013 he returned to his previous position as commander of ISOF-1. In this capacity, he directed ISOF-1 in the 2014 Anbar campaign.[4]
In August 2014 he led the brigade in the Mosul Dam offensive which saw Mosul Dam retaken by a joint Iraqi-Kurdish offensive.
In 2016 Al-Barwari led the ISOF-1 brigade in tandem with other Iraqi government forces, including ISOF-2 brigade led by Maj. Gen. Ma’an al-Saadi in the liberation of Mosul which was the last ISIS stronghold in Iraq.
Controversy
editIn November 2017, two former DynCorp workers testified in an Alexandria, Virginia federal court that al-Barwari paid them hundreds of thousands of dollars to arrange an overpriced lease of land the general owned near the Baghdad airport, starting in 2011.[5]
Death
editAl-Barwari died on 20 September 2018 from a heart attack.[6][1]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Witty, David M. (25 September 2018). "Remembering MG Fadhil Barwari - ISOF Cdr". SOF News. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
- ^ Shanker, Thom (20 February 2006). "Elite Iraqi Unit Seeks Footing as It Fills U.S. Boots". The New York Times. p. 1. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
- ^ "USSOCOM" (PDF). IRP.
- ^ Berwani, Hawar (5 January 2014). "Al-Qaeda leader killed with 31 other al-Qaeda elements in Anbar – MG Fadhil Barwari". Iraqi News. Baghdad. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
- ^ Weiner, Rachel (28 November 2017). "Iraqi general helped cheat US government, contractors involved in scheme say". Stripes.com. Archived from the original on 20 September 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
- ^ "الموت يغيب قائد الفرقة الذهبية فاضل برواري". Rudaw.net (in Arabic). 20 September 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
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