Falcons Intelligence Cell

The Falcons Intelligence Cell of Iraq (FIC) (Arabic: خلية الصقور الاستخبارية) is a military intelligence unit with law-enforcement officers, intelligence officers, and others in specialized intelligence capacities. The Falcons Intelligence Cell has been dubbed "the most dangerous spy network" in Iraq and is trained by the CIA and the MI6, and have carried out hundreds of successful operations against militants, rivaling other Iraqi intelligence services in Iraq in terms of scope and prowess.^[1][2][3]

Falcons Intelligence Cell خلية الصقور الاستخبارية‎
Common name	Falcons
Agency overview
Formed	8 February 2006; 19 years ago (2006-02-08)
Employees	Classified
Jurisdictional structure
National agency	Iraq
Operations jurisdiction	Iraq
Governing body	Prime Minister’s Office
Operational structure
Agency executive	Major General Hamid Sahi[citation needed], Chief of Military Intelligence

Officials stated that the Falcons are responsible for foiling hundreds of attacks on important cities in Iraq during the War in Iraq (2013-2017)^[4]

History

In 2006, the intelligence unit was created with the mission of eliminating leaders of hostile groups. The unit was named "Al-Suquor", or "The Falcons."^[4] The unit is most known for operations involving Captain Harith al-Sudani, in which Falcons foiled around 30 car-bomb attacks on Baghdad.^[5][4][6] The Falcons were praised by U.S. services for infiltrating ISIS cells, killing or arresting leaders and members, preventing attacks and destroying weapons.^[3] According to The New York Times, the Iraqi counter-terrorism intelligence unit "May be the most important organization on the front lines of the war on terrorism that almost no one has heard of."^[4]

Terrorism infiltration

The Falcons counter-terrorism operations typically involved Captain Harith al-Sudani infiltrating ISIS during the War in Iraq 2013-2017, driving ISIS's car bombs to important cities, letting the Falcon bomb disposal team dismantle the bombs and replacing them with pyrotechnic devices, and then dropping the car at the target point. There, Falcons would create a fake car bombing, including Falcons agents posing as victims, and photos and fake security briefs sent to news organizations.^[4][3] Captain Al-Sudani would then be picked up by ISIS agents and return with them, continuing his infiltration mission.

Al-Sudani was described as "Iraq’s most successful spy"^[3] while operating within the Falcons unit.^[3]

Notable people

• Harith al-Sudani (1981–August 2017)