The Golden Division - the army that cleansed the stain from the war against ISIS.

The recent significant victories in the fight against IS in Iraq are thanks to the contributions of an elite counter-terrorism unit known as the Golden Division.

Soldiers from Iraq's elite counter-terrorism force, the Golden Division, gather before participating in an operation to retake the city of Fallujah in May. Photo: AP

Iraq's counterterrorism unit, the Golden Division, faced so much stigma that it was even called the "Dirty Division." After becoming embroiled in accusations of running secret prisons and committing murders, the force faced calls for its dissolution by some lawmakers, according to the Washington Post.

However, it was the fight against the Islamic State (IS) militants that helped them restore their prestige. The Golden Division is now the vanguard force in most operations to hunt down IS in Iraq. The commanders leading the division have now become stars on the battlefield. A series of new songs have been created, praising their bravery.

Observers note that this 10,000-strong force is a rare bright spot in the U.S. effort to restructure the Iraqi military over the past 13 years. U.S. officials say the Golden Division is their most reliable partner in the fight against ISIS on the ground, amid the Iraqi army's struggles with corruption and poor management.

A glorious achievement

Vehicles of the Golden Division entered Fallujah last month. Photo: AP

As ISIS relentlessly launched attacks to seize control of Iraq's largest oil refinery in the city of Baiji, north of Baghdad, the Golden Division was also present, putting up fierce resistance and holding firm against hundreds of enemy suicide bombings.

Last year, they led the campaign to retake the city of Ramadi, clearing ISIS militants from east to west, even though Iraqi federal police had previously faced significant difficulties in their offensive.

The Golden Division also distinguished itself in the battles of Hit and Rutbah, successfully capturing numerous villages along the Euphrates River.

Most recently, the Golden Division broke through ISIS's defenses in Fallujah. With fire support from US Air Force fighter jets, the Golden Division's armored vehicles traversed areas rigged with ISIS bombs, destroying the network of tunnels the militants had established beneath the city.

"They are shock troops," Captain Mick Bednarek, who headed the Iraqi soldier training program from 2013 to 2015, praised the Golden Division.

Remove the bad reputation.

The Golden Division counterterrorism force was established in 2003. U.S. officials then realized they needed a fighting force to work alongside them against insurgent movements. The Iraqi counterterrorism unit was trained based on the U.S. special forces model and recruited from diverse religious and ethnic groups, including Shiites, Sunnis, and Kurds.

When it was first established, the Golden Division was met with skepticism because it was under the direct command of the prime minister's office, rather than the Ministry of Defense or the Ministry of Interior. The then Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri Al Maliki, was accused of using this force to purge political rivals.

Those accusations sparked outrage in Iraq, leading to calls for the group's dissolution. After Maliki resigned, the accusations that they were merely puppets of the prime minister ceased.

"People used to hate us,"Colonel Arkan Fadhil, one of the senior commanders ofThe Golden Division,Speaking about the "stain" on the force's reputation before the fight against IS, he said, "But now they respect us much more."

Late last year, when one of the vehicles carrying soldiers from the Golden Division passed through a Sunni-inhabited area on the outskirts of Ramadi, just as the city had been liberated, children gave them candy and surrounded them to take pictures. According to a local Sunni official, two years ago, people would have closed their doors and hidden in their homes instead of being so enthusiastic.

"The transformation of the Golden Division over the past two years has been incredibly impressive," remarked a retired U.S. Army special forces colonel who once advised Iraqi counterterrorism forces. "They have crossed the brink of disbandment to become shining stars of Iraq."

Experts believe that the Golden Division's separation from Iraq's traditional security structure is partly to blame for its current success. They have managed to distance themselves from the rampant corruption within the Iraqi military system.

The Golden Division remained united even as ISIS plunged Iraq into a severe crisis in 2014. Today, the Golden Division is "the most professional and skilled unit in all of the Iraqi forces," Bednarek commented.

Heavy responsibility

Soldiers of the Golden Division gather in the Al Haykil area southeast of Fallujah. Photo: Washington Post

"We've previously conducted missions targeting select, high-value targets or deployed in small formations," Fadhil said. "We've never undertaken a large-scale operation that required the deployment of three or four battalions."

The pressure of running a large-scale ground war is weighing heavily on the Golden Division, according to the Washington Post. Even as their fighters are focused on the Fallujah campaign, some are being deployed to Ramadi to retake suburbs they seized months ago from ISIS, as police and local tribes have once again lost control there.

"The weaknesses of the army and other forces increased the pressure on us," said Major General Haider Al Obeidi, commander of the Golden Division's front line. "When advancing, we had to skip many targets. We didn't have time to search every house, every tunnel. There should have been a support group closely following us."

Shiite militias also arrived in Fallujah to assist the Golden Division. However, deploying Shiite forces in a predominantly Sunni area was highly sensitive. The Iraqi army subsequently ordered their withdrawal, leaving only a few members of the Golden Division to remain and defend the city.

Previously, soldiers of the Golden Division typically operated for 7 days, trained for 7 days, and rested for 7 days. Currently, the program has changed to 14 days of operation and 7 days of rest. However, due to the intensity of the war, this schedule cannot always be maintained.

"We don't allow them to rest. They have to get used to it," said Colonel Fadhil. Fadhil was the first Iraqi to graduate from the U.S. Ranger Military Training School, and heThey had to fight for 118 consecutive days in Ramadi.

Being on the front lines against IS also caused the Golden Division to suffer heavy losses. The unit Fadhil commanded in December 2013 had 240 men. Now, they only have 190 soldiers left.

According to Fadhil, replacing these soldiers is extremely difficult because "you can't mass-produce fighters with such skills and expertise."

According to VNE