DoD - Operation Dust Devil: OPFOR/INDFOR Capability Assessment

[1LT J. N. Lee]

SECRET

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

DEFENSE PENTAGON, WASHINGTON, DC

31 MAY 2024

(S) Operation Dust Devil: OPFOR/INDFOR Capability Assessment

(U) Administrative

All acronyms utilized in the following brief are proactively defined and utilized strictly for the streamlining of text and characters. All acronyms in the following report are defined/transcribed in full upon initial use and then abbreviated for subsequent use. The "Spoilers" marked part below contains utilized acronyms/abbreviations and their definitions and is closed simply to condense report size.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

U - Unclassified. Used for government documents that do not merit a particular classification or which have been declassified. The information is low-impact, and therefore does not require any special protection, such as vetting of personnel.

Capability Assessment - is a structured and standardised framework for evaluating the capabilities, competencies of military entities.

CUI - Controlled Unclassified Information: Previously used as the "For Offical Use Only/FOUO" caveat for classifying unclassified, but internally distributed information, intended for controlled release to authorized persons only, but not sensitive enough to warrant SECRET marking & handling procedures.

S - Secret. Material that would cause serious damage to national security if it were publicly available.

SoAK - Sons of Al-Karbouli.

ATO - Anizay Theatre of Operations.

IAF - Iraqi Armed Forces.

IGF - Iraqi Ground Forces.

UNAMI - United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq.

UNSC - United Nations Security Council.

UNITAD - UN's Investigative Team for Accountability of Daesh-ISIL.

OFI - Office of Field Investigations.

(S) Introduction

(S) The purpose of this document is to familiarize US forces deployed within the Anizay Theater of Operations (ATO) with the capabilities and equipment in use by the various splinter militant factions, the Iraqi Armed Forces (IAF) and the United Nations (UN).

(S) OPFOR: Splinter Militant Factions

Fig. 1: Satellite/drone images of militants

(S) Aligning with their insurgency doctrine, almost all militants have opted for civilian garb, both traditional and modern, to blend in with the local civilian population. Upon activation, insurgents will either brandish weapons hidden on their persons, or move to a hidden cache to arm themselves. On rare occasions, militants (most commonly the Al-Fulisan Brigade) will be seen in Cold War era surplus military uniforms and equipment for specific tasks, such as intimidation, show of force, or when attending important meetings. These militants are also more commonly seen in rural areas, where the civilian population is so small and sparse that blending in is unfeasible. Militants are unlikely to wear/own distinguishable items that can identify which specific militant faction they belong to.

(S) As factions that originated from the Sons of Al-Karbouli, most militants are trained/experienced in the employment and execution of basic Russian/Middle Eastern conventional warfare doctrines. However, their most preferred tactics still revolve around insurgency doctrines, relying on asymmetric tactics such as ambush, IED/VBIED, civilian shields, propaganda, etc. to accomplish their operational goals. OPFOR is unlikely to deploy in a conventional manner unless strategic factors have changed dramatically.

(S) List of known OPFOR factions, sorted in descending order by their threat level, current as of 29MAY25:

• Al-Fulisan Brigade: low numbers, exceptionally high threat. Ex-military with nationalist leanings. Retains technical IED capability.
• Swords of Tarhid: high numbers, high threat. Strong ideological ties to regional jihadist groups. Recently pledged nominal allegiance to remnants of ISIS.
• Lions of the Tigris: high numbers, medium threat. Focused on tribal vendetta operations and weapons smuggling.
• Guardians of Fallujah: medium numbers, low threat. Urban-based cell structure remaining in eastern Fallujah; focus on sabotage and targeted assassinations of Western collaborators.
• Free Sons of Karboul: medium numbers, no threat. Breakaway reformist faction denouncing religious extremism; seeking political legitimacy among Sunni tribes.

(S) INDFOR: Iraqi Ground Forces

Fig. 2: Iraqi Ground Forces soldiers

(CUI) The Iraqi Armed Forces are the military forces of the Republic of Iraq. They consist of the Ground forces, the Army Aviation Command, the Iraqi Air Force, the Air Defence Command and the Iraqi Navy. As the Anizay region is land-locked, US troops will most commonly encounter Iraqi Ground Forces (IGF) soldiers throughout the course of the deployment. Following the invasion of Iraq by U.S. forces in 2003, the Iraqi Army was rebuilt along U.S. lines with enormous amounts of U.S. military assistance at every level. Because of the Iraqi insurgency that began shortly after the invasion, the Iraqi Army was later designed to initially be a counter-insurgency force.

(S) The IGF has been working in tandem with the UN in providing security for both UN activities and civilians by monitoring, reducing and containing militant activities in the Anizay region. While their performance in low-threat scenarios have been satisfactory, the IGF has been rather lackkluster in response to the increasingly aggressive militants due to lacking morale, resources and training. US forces should therefore not rely on the IAF and the IGF for high-risk, direct-action mission types.

(S) INDFOR: United Nations

Fig. 3: United Nations convoy returning to base

(CUI) The United Nations has been present in Iraq in the form of The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), established in 2003 by United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 1500 at the request of the Iraqi government to support national development efforts.UNAMI's mandate includes advising and assisting the government on political dialogue and national reconciliation; supporting political processes such as elections and the national census; facilitating regional dialogue between Iraq and neighboring countries; coordinating the delivery of humanitarian aid; advancing judicial and legal reforms; and promoting human rights. Since the Iraqi civil war began in late 2023, the United Nations has increased their footprint in Iraq by deploying Peacekeepers to urban centers that have been most affected by the fighting, including Ramadi, Fallujah, and Anizay.

(CUI) Peacekeeping by the United Nations is a role of the United Nations's Department of Peace Operations and an "instrument developed by the organization as a way to help countries torn by conflict to create the conditions for lasting peace". Peacekeepers monitor and observe peace processes in post-conflict areas and assist ex-combatants in implementing the peace agreements they may have signed. Such assistance comes in many forms, including separating former combatants, confidence-building measures, power-sharing arrangements, electoral assistance, strengthening the rule of law, and economic and social development. Accordingly, UN peacekeepers (often referred to as Blue Berets or Blue Helmets because of their light blue berets or helmets) can include soldiers, police officers, and civilian personnel.

(S) The UN's Investigative Team for Accountability of Daesh-ISIL (UNITAD) has also deployed officials from the Office of Field Investigations (OFI) as a response to the Swords of Tarhid's ties to ISIS, by supporting the Iraqi government via technical assistance to investigate and prosecute ISIS members in conjunction with the International Criminal Court. Since the ambush on 1307, 30MAY25, both UNITAD and OFI have deemed the region too high-risk to continue operations and has elected to evacuate all personnel and materiel until US forces have successfully re-stabilised the region.


Classified By: S-2 Operations Command
Reason: 1.4(a)
Declassify On: 20300531

END REPORT

The entirety of this document represents fictional works of the 506th Infantry Regiment Realism Unit, S-2 Intelligence Shop, developed for use within the Arma Reforger military simulation video game, and exists purely for entertainment and educational purposes only. The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.