Military

2nd Battalion
1st Battalion, 1st Brigade
"The Leopards"

With the reorginization of the Iraqi Army the 2nd Battalion, 1st Brigade was redesginated the 1st Battalion, 1st Brigade.

The Iraqi Intervention Forces' 2nd Battalion, "Leopards," formally took responsibility for part of the 5th Brigade Combat Team's area of operations in Baghdad during a short ceremony 31 July 2004. This is the first time that an IIF unit has taken control of a sector. What they brought to the table is new capabilities. The Leopard's leadership uncased the battalion's colors to signify the unit's activation and assumption of Abu Dashir of the Al Rashid district. The 1st Cavalry Division's 5th BCT patrols Baghdad's Al Rashid. The 5th BCT's Company C, 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, used to patrol the area. The Leopard's main mission will be combat operations. They'll take on the missions that are beyond the capabilities of the Iraqi National Guard like arresting high profile terrorists, or large cordon-and-search operations. The battalion has been patrolling Abu Dashir and conducted several large operations, one of which resulted in the arrest of one of the Multi-National Force's most wanted terrorists.

The Iraqi Army made a well-received first foray into Baghdad July 1, 2004 with a single company from the Iraqi Intervention Force's 2nd Battalion conducting foot patrols down the crowded streets of the city's troubled southern district of Abu Deshir.

By August 2004, having more than a month of experience in patrols in their new sector, the 2nd Battalion, 1st Iraqi Intervention Force (IIF) Brigade - the first Iraqi unit to be assigned a sector in Baghdad - moved things up a bit in their area of Abu Dashir. Security and patrols were the first things the battalion learned during their right-seat/left-seat ride in Abu Dashir with their predecessors, Company C, 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment. On August 9th, they took part in a new task: civil military operations.

In early November, 2004 the 2nd Battalion, 1st Brigade of the IIF attacked and seized the Hydra Mosque along with U.S. Marines of Regimental Combat Team 7.