3rd Division (Iraq)
| 3rd Division | |
|---|---|
| Active | c. 1930s–2003; 2005–present |
| Country |
 Kingdom of Iraq (c. 1930s–1958) Republic of Iraq (1958–68) Ba'athist Iraq (1968–2003) Iraq (2005–present) |
| Allegiance |
Iraq
|
| Branch | Iraqi Army |
| Type | Motorised Infantry |
| Size | Division |
| Part of | Iraqi Ground Forces Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Al Kisik Base, Mosul |
| Nickname(s) | Salahuddin |
| Engagements |
Anglo-Iraqi War Persian Gulf War |
| Disbanded | 2003 |
Anglo-Iraqi War
Six Day War
Yom Kippur War
Iran–Iraq War
Persian Gulf War
Iraqi Kurdish Civil War
The 3rd Division is a formation of the Iraqi Army. It was active by 1941, disbanded along with the rest of the Iraqi Army in 2003, but reactivated by 2005.
Before being disbanded in 2003, the previous 3rd Division had been one of the four original divisions of the Iraqi Army, being active in 1941 during the Anglo-Iraqi War. The division's most notable activity in the war came on 22 May when the division's 6th Infantry Brigade staged a counterattack against British forces in Fallujah which was repulsed.
In July 1958 elements of the division had overthrown the Iraqi government in the 14 July Revolution, with Abd al-Karim Qasim, commander of the 20th Infantry Brigade (an armoured brigade according to Darwish and Alexander) stationed near Ba'quba, the originator of the coup. However the actual overthrow was led by a battalion commander, Abdul Salam Arif, in the 19th Infantry Brigade.
Some time in the 1950s or 1960s the division was converted into the 3rd Armoured Division, which was deployed to the 1967 Six Day War. Iraqi participation in the Six Day War was limited, principally owing to the slow reaction of the 3rd Armoured Division, which had been stationed in eastern Jordan. The 3rd Armoured Division did not organise itself and reach the front line before the Jordanians ceased operations. Later during the events of Black September in Jordan, 1970, the division was still stationed in northeast Jordan. Though the Jordanians needed forces to repel the Syrian invasion, they had to keep the 99th Brigade of their 3rd Armoured Division out of the conflict so that they could watch the Iraqi division.
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