iraqi chocolate chip camouflage uniforms from 2004 - current day
Beginning after OIF in 2004, the new Iraqi forces were equipped with variants of the US 6 color "chocolate chip" camouflage uniform. This camouflage pattern was heavily used until around 2010 and still is being worn today but on a lesser scale . This section will cover the different types of 6 color uniforms worn by the Iraqi forces post 2003.
immediate post saddam 6 color uniform
PRE ISIS (2003 - 2013): 2004 at the latest
WAR ON ISIS (2013 - 2019): NO
POST ISIS (2019 -): NO
After the fall of the Saddam-led government in 2003, the immediate post Saddam era was very chaotic and messy, which is why the gear, for a short period of time, was the same quality as the pre Saddam era after Desert Storm.
This uniform is exactly that. With help, its been determined that this jacket is likely from the immediate post Saddam period. Chocolate chip camouflage was extremely uncommon during the Saddam era, and existing examples are different from this one. It is poorly constructed of some sort of coarse nylon type material. The buttons are of horrible quality and the entire uniform is super light. The shoulder boards are for an Iraqi Second Lieutenant and the lanyard might be an add on.
This uniform is exactly that. With help, its been determined that this jacket is likely from the immediate post Saddam period. Chocolate chip camouflage was extremely uncommon during the Saddam era, and existing examples are different from this one. It is poorly constructed of some sort of coarse nylon type material. The buttons are of horrible quality and the entire uniform is super light. The shoulder boards are for an Iraqi Second Lieutenant and the lanyard might be an add on.
Very Early Green Tinted IRaqi Civil Defense Corps (ICDC) Uniform
PRE ISIS (2003 - 2013): 2004 only
WAR ON ISIS (2013 - 2019): No
POST ISIS (2019 -): No
This ICDC green tinted 6 color camo variant is extremely unique to the year 2004. These were only worn during this time by the ICDC before being quickly phased out by better quality 6 color uniforms shown throughout this section. This variant was made by the iraqi company RMC who made uniforms during the post 1991 era and existed only for a few short years after the fall of Saddam in 2003. They are made of a light cotton material and are of average quality. The design is the same as US made 6 color uniforms yet it incorporates green into the camouflage pattern and the "tan" camo pattern is more of a pinkish color. Because of how short lived they were, they are exceedingly rare.
Iraqi Civil Defense corps (ICDC) 6 color camo uniform
PRE ISIS (2003 - 2013): YES
WAR ON ISIS (2013 - 2019): limited use by militias
POST ISIS (2019 -): almost non existent
This type of chocolate chip camouflage uniform is very commonly seen amongst the early ICDC forces in 2004 and a bit after the ICDC was disbanded. Its design is similar to the US made chocolate chip uniforms but with a darker brown color and a very small greenish tint to the tan.
This particular uniform has a patch for the 210th Battalion of the ICDC and has a tag "JAF" which stands for Jordanian Armed Forces, who apparently gave uniforms to the new Iraq army or the Chinese company that made them also sold them to Iraq. Uniforms with this type of tag were largely worn in the time period of the ICDC, but some iraqi militias still wear this uniform today.
This particular uniform has a patch for the 210th Battalion of the ICDC and has a tag "JAF" which stands for Jordanian Armed Forces, who apparently gave uniforms to the new Iraq army or the Chinese company that made them also sold them to Iraq. Uniforms with this type of tag were largely worn in the time period of the ICDC, but some iraqi militias still wear this uniform today.
iraqi national guard brown dominant 6 color uniform
PRE ISIS (2003 - 2013): YES
WAR ON ISIS (2013 - 2019): unknown
POST ISIS (2019 -): UNKNOWN
Here's another interesting 6 color uniform which was worn by an Iraqi National Guard Sergeant of the 210th Battalion and has noticeable field wear. The uniform itself has some interesting tags that look like regular U.S. 6 color uniform tags, but the uniform is definitely not US made. Interestingly, the uniform was made by Samsung, so it is likely South Korean produced.
iraqi used U.S. made 6 color uniform
PRE ISIS (2003 - 2013): YES
WAR ON ISIS (2013 - 2019): LIMITED USE
POST ISIS (2019 -): no
The Iraqi Golden Division, Iraq's Special Forces, was trained by the coalition after the Saddam era in 2003. The uniform here is a great example of what they, and the ICDC, wore early on during training and operations. This uniform is a US made 6 color "Chocolate Chip" camo uniform set. It has been modified with large belt loops to accommodate an Iraqi pistol belt and removed lower pants pockets. The patches are the felt version, and the whole uniform likely was used around the year 2008.
green tinted ripstop 6 color camo uniform from 2007
PRE ISIS (2003 - 2013): YES (around 2006-2008)
WAR ON ISIS (2013 - 2019): no
POST ISIS (2019 -): no
Not to be confused with the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps version of this camo, this version of the Iraqi 6 color uniform has a light green color incorporated in the design, unlike its darker green ICDC predecessor, and it is made of Ripstop. This particular color design is tough to see in period photos because of how light the green is unless you look hard enough. They seem to have been introduced sometime around 2006 and phased out soon after.
This set below was taken by a U.S. PSYOP member in the town of Baqubah, Iraq in 2007, near the time of the 2nd Battle Of Baqubah. The uniform is of good quality and is made of a Ripstop material. The pants have the camo colors more prominent, where the jacket looks slightly faded, although both are unissued.
This set below was taken by a U.S. PSYOP member in the town of Baqubah, Iraq in 2007, near the time of the 2nd Battle Of Baqubah. The uniform is of good quality and is made of a Ripstop material. The pants have the camo colors more prominent, where the jacket looks slightly faded, although both are unissued.
iraqi interpreter used 2 pocket 6 color uniform
PRE ISIS (2003 - 2013): Yes
WAR ON ISIS (2013 - 2019): no
POST ISIS (2019 -): no
Here is a very interestingly made 6 color uniform worn by an Iraqi Interpreter nicknamed "Sam" from around 2003/2004. It is unknown where it was made, but it was probably Korean or Chinese manufactured, as most Iraqi gear is. It is also possible this could be a Saddam era uniform considering when it was worn by the Interpreter, but that is also unclear.
Photos courtesy of @nyco_and_nylon
Photos courtesy of @nyco_and_nylon
6 color uniform #1
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PRE ISIS (2003 - 2013): YES
WAR ON ISIS (2013 - 2019): unknown
POST ISIS (2019 -): unknown
This uniform seems to have been made close to the year 2004 for the ICDC and then for the iraqi army that followed. The quality is very similar to the ICDC issued 6 color uniforms. What is different about this uniform is how large and sparse the camo pattern is. The brown and tan stripes seems larger and the groups of them are very spaced out. Overall the quality is very good on this piece.
6 color uniform #2
PRE ISIS (2003 - 2013): YES
WAR ON ISIS (2013 - 2019): unknown
POST ISIS (2019 -): unknown
Here's another uniform that appears to have been made close to the year 2004 for the ICDC and then for the iraqi army that followed. The quality is very similar to the ICDC issued 6 color uniforms. The camo pattern here looks more condensed and abundant and is very similar to US made 6 color camo uniforms.
6 color uniform #3
PRE ISIS (2003 - 2013): YES
WAR ON ISIS (2013 - 2019): no
POST ISIS (2019 -): no
Yet another version of the Iraqi 6 color camo uniforms. This one has no manufacturing tags save for a size, but it is likely Chinese or South Korean made. It is constructed in the regular 6 color uniform style and has Iraqi captain's shoulder boards. This one was used closer to the year 2004 and has a slight green tint to the camouflage pattern.
Photos courtesy of @nyco_and_nylon
Photos courtesy of @nyco_and_nylon