Page 90 - Light Dragoons 2023 CREST

The Regimental Journal of The Light Dragoons
Back to Baghdad: A Light Dragoon in Iraq
In the summer of 2014, the world watched aghast as Muslim extremists fighting under the banner of the Islamic State of Iraq and al Shams (ISIS) swept through northern Iraq and Syria in what became known as a jihadi blitzkrieg. In just 100 days ISIS was in control of some six million people and an area roughly the size of Great Britain. By late 2014 a Global Coalition was formed to prevent ISIS from making further advances and, thereby, threatening regional allies and inspiring international terrorism. The US-led mili- tary mission, known as Operation Inherent Resolve, supported local forces with an extensive allied air campaign and some ground-based combat assistance. It took three years of fierce fighting before Iraq was liberated from the so-called Caliphate and it was not until March 2019 that ISIS forces were defeated across the region after their final and, ultimately, unsuccessful stand near the Syrian town of Baghuz.
Today, the fight against ISIS continues, albeit with less requirement for direct mil- itary action. Since early 2022, Operation Inherent Resolve has been an ‘Advise, Enable and Assist’ mission, seeking the enduring defeat of ISIS by facilitating the development of long-term security arrangements and local stability. It is not an easy task. Iraq and Northeast Syria remain blighted by numerous security challenges, including drugs, organized crime and sec- tarianism, as well as from small pockets of ISIS resistance. The area also continues to suffer from a lack of economic stabil- ity, effective governance and social cohe- sion. As such, Iraq remains a long way from becoming the beacon of democratic stability that the West’s 2003 intervention hoped to create. It was into this backdrop that I returned to the region, after a 17-year absence, as part of Britain’s contribution to the anti-ISIS effort – known as Operation Shader. It was to be a long, hot summer.
The Coalition’s multinational Combined Joint Task Force (CJTF) is comprised of some 5000 military personnel and is spread across three principal locations: the main headquarters in Kuwait; the forward headquarters in Baghdad; and a deployed element in the Kurdish city of Erbil. Establishing and maintaining connectivity across this extended geographical laydown was a constant challenge. Nevertheless, the CJTF focused its efforts on develop- ing Partner Force proficiency and, despite the challenges, has recently overseen an encouraging increase in the ability of the Iraqi Security Forces to conduct time-sen- sitive strikes against ISIS remnants, using its own ground, air and aviation assets. As a result, the threat from ISIS on the bat- tlefield is at an all-time low. However, the organisation is down but not out and today
the ISIS menace lies away from its fielded forces.
The current ISIS threat stems from the ‘temporary’ detention facilities and dis- placed persons camps across Northeast Syria. Currently, there are some 12,000 ISIS detainees living in truly squalid con- ditions within several makeshift detention facilities, run by the Coalition’s local part- ners: the Syrian Democratic Forces. These facilities have become a hotbed for radical- isation and incubators for the ISIS ideol- ogy. Similarly, the displaced persons camps in Northeast Syria have helped generate local ISIS enclaves. There are over 100,000 displaced persons currently crammed into various camps originally designed to house fewer than half that number. These cramped facilities are difficult to police and allow ISIS elements to thrive. As such, ISIS will not be truly defeated until those in the detention facilities and displaced persons camps have undergone an effective programme of repatriation, rehabilitation and reintegration.
With the above in mind, it was clear dur- ing my tenure in Baghdad that the current fight against ISIS is not a purely military one. Iraq and Northeast Syria will remain vulnerable to alternative influences like ISIS until they can combat corruption, establish effective governance and enhance the socio-economic prospects of their ordinary citizens. There is still much to do here. Throughout 2022, Iraq endured long periods of instability as its politi- cal elites were unable to form a function- ing government. Meanwhile, the various ethno-sectarian factions syphoned-off the country’s considerable wealth (Iraq has the fifth largest oil reserves in the world) while local people were left without functioning schools, essential services, local adminis- tration and jobs. These conditions, cou- pled with the insufferable heat of the local climate, create the perfect powder keg for an explosion of civil unrest and the search for alternative options – such as the ISIS ideology.
Al-Hol displaced persons camp, NE Syria
Set within this challenging environment, the Coalition’s military mission stands in a difficult position. Impotent to do much about the region’s political and socio- economic woes, the CJTF does its best to improve the local security sector while hoping that the international civilian effort can help deliver broader stabilisa- tion. Sometimes this felt a little forlorn and one often questioned the efficacy of the Coalition’s higher strategy. Meanwhile, Iraq and Northeast Syria continue to be influenced by a range of competing pow- ers, both internal and external. In the lat- ter category, these include Russia, Iran and Turkey, none of whom are particularly supportive of the Coalition’s approach in theatre – despite the latter being a NATO ally and an active member of the Coalition itself! These dynamics, coupled with the ‘Iraqi’ factor and CJTF’s uncanny ability to make life difficult for itself, left many of us feeling we were living in ‘interesting times’.
Despite this, Operation Inherent Resolve is an exciting mission for those seeking experience concerning the operational realties of a modern military campaign. The CJTF routinely deals with intracta- ble issues at the strategic level and young British officers, often newly promoted or in acting rank, punch above their weight in finding novel solutions or facilitating a collegiate approach in an otherwise dis- parate organisation. A tour on Operation Shader also provides experience in a joint, coalition headquarters that, set within a complex environment, tackles political ambiguity and operational uncertainty on a regular basis. Importantly, there is still work to be done. Despite the current fight being less kinetic than before, while the region remains critically under-developed ISIS remains a threat. The CJTF requires good people not only to improve the local security sector, but also to work alongside civilian agencies to help find enduring solutions to the region’s broader issues.
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