Iraq/ Afghan Insurgent flags anyone?

[RedLegGI]

Looking for some pics/stories of these captured flags. Haven't seen any come up yet and wondering if anyone has acquired any yet. I don't have one *yet* (lol) but someday hopefully.

 

 

 

[gwb123]

"Insurgent" is a broad term that could apply to everyone from the Confederacy to the Viet Cong. I know you are interested in Iraq and Afghanistan, but did you have a particular conflict in mind?

[RedLegGI]

"Insurgent" is a broad term that could apply to everyone from the Confederacy to the Viet Cong. I know you are interested in Iraq and Afghanistan, but did you have a particular conflict in mind?

 

 

Yeah sorry meant the more current Iraq/Afghanistan stuff.

[TRR]

I would be interested in seeing some in collections as well. Speaking for Iraq stuff, I handled a few from AQI but were all turned over to the unit and brought back as unit history items. I think it would be a rather rare item because it was not like a government where everyone had a flag and they were flown everywhere.

[RedLegGI]

I would be interested in seeing some in collections as well. Speaking for Iraq stuff, I handled a few from AQI but were all turned over to the unit and brought back as unit history items. I think it would be a rather rare item because it was not like a government where everyone had a flag and they were flown everywhere.

I think you're absolutely right about the rarity and the reasons. The only reason I have AQI paperwork is because it sat unmoved for 3-4 months in our CP when it was supposed to go to BN. Granted it was 3-4 years old so it wasn't 'current' but hey, if it wasn't important enough to move up, its not important enough to go to the unit. Its kind of a shame that the flags go to the units as history pieces instead of the soldiers who captured them.

[CHASEUSA11B]

I wish I had one to post but I wasn't lucky enough to acquire any while deployed. One of the guys in my unit snagged a makeshift flag like the one in this pic, I'll try to get ahold of him and see if I can get a picture. Like TRR said these are probably quite rare but I hope some turn up on this thread.

 

 

This picture was taken of our Bradley in 2004 on Haifa Street.

[TRR]

I have very limited stuff as well. Mostly just common propaganda or digital stuff. The military is so intelligence driven now, it almost all goes up the chain and later destroyed or shipped to museums. I have a drawing somewhere of George Bush smoking a cigarette and crude english calling him a dog, probably some kid drew it.

[badash5946]

Somewhere I've got an Iraqi flag from a Marine that he got during the initial push into Baghdad. My son, who was a medic with the 173rd in 2007 - 2008, said he just missed getting a scarf from a Taliban member that he and another soldier both shot at the same time. The other soldier got to him first and got the scarf and was actually able to get it back to the US. My son said that was pretty much impossible to get anything back from his AO.

[TRR]

I have commented in other threads on how tricky it was for bring-backs, mostly relying on how strict the unit command was. I hope we see some flags posted!

[Mr. Scratch]

This came from a police contractor who led an IP raid on a suicide bomb making factory. This was from the time old Republican Guard formations were reformed as insurgent groups with AQ ties. It's obviously hand-made with painted lettering, out of that cheap stretchy nylon material. It reads:

Special Tasks Unit - First Reconnaissance

Republican Guards - Second Company

[TRR]

That ought to get the ball rolling. Great piece! Thanks for sharing.

[RedLegGI]

Very nice glad to see there are some about

[badash5946]

Finally found where I had stored this flag. it is an Iraq captured flag by US Marines from the Baghdad headquarters of the Republican Guard in 2003. Several of the Marines inscribed it.

[badash5946]

Here is a photo of the flag just after its capture in the Republican Guard Headquarters.

[Mr. Scratch]

On the Repub Guard Special Tasks Unit insurgent flag:

The guy I got it from said he picked it up out of the trash pile that had been left after the Iraqi Police had gone through the evidence. The IP had noted it's existence, but it was not considered important enough for the prosecution of the surviving insurgents they captured. He was able to keep it because he was a police advisor and not regular military, so he had looser regs on what he could bring back. Had be been military, it almost certainly would have had to be turned in. I haven't seen much else in the way of actual insurgent or Al Qaeda flags and banners in civilian hands, and I've been looking for years.

[badash5946]

This came from a police contractor who led an IP raid on a suicide bomb making factory. This was from the time old Republican Guard formations were reformed as insurgent groups with AQ ties. It's obviously hand-made with painted lettering, out of that cheap stretchy nylon material. It reads:

 

Special Tasks Unit - First Reconnaissance

Republican Guards - Second Company

STU1RG2coSMALL2.JPG

Just a really nice and salty flag!

[TRR]

Great Iraqi Flag with the provenance to boot!

[Mr. Scratch]

Here is an Al Qaeda flag that was captured in Baghdad, being displayed as evidence. Those look like Iraqi soldiers in the background, so who knows what happened to it. But they did apparently fall into coalition hands from time to time.



And another in US hands.

[RedLegGI]

Very nice captured flags

[Timberwolf]

Why are flags confiscated? I mean I know they won't let you bring home weapons related items, but what is the harm in bringing home a flag? How are they used as "evidence". I just feel bad for the guys in now that can't send home anything as opposed to WWII where you could send home just about whatever you wanted.-Ben

[Nkomo]

I picked this portion of an Iraqi flag and a Brit map of Umm Qasr up about a year ago. It was actually a small grouping from a soldier in the 822nd MP CO (under the 220th MP Brigade).

 

 

Looks like a typical Iraqi flag, but the Allah Ackbar is hand painted between the stars. The middle section is about all that is left of this piece. Black portion has been torn off and I assume the red part was too, but the seam is ripped where the red portion would have been. This flag has numerous holes and tears. The middle section should be white. As you can see from the photos, the white section is actually a shade of gray now. As far as the red stuff, I believe it is paint.

 

[Nkomo]

Close up of red stains.

[RedLegGI]

Close up of red stains.

Jealous...lol

[Nkomo]

Thanks, Brent.

[Mr. Scratch]

 

Why are flags confiscated? I mean I know they won't let you bring home weapons related items, but what is the harm in bringing home a flag? How are they used as "evidence". I just feel bad for the guys in now that can't send home anything as opposed to WWII where you could send home just about whatever you wanted.-Ben

 

 

In general, the new media-sensitive military is wary of battlefield souvenir collecting because sometimes the line between "souvenir" and "loot" can be pretty fine.

 

But insurgent flags in particular they want turned in because they are important military intelligence. They may be the only physical link identifying a particular insurgent unit or it's affiliations. To Private Joe Snuffy, it's just a wierd flag he picked up, maybe he'll show it off to his friends back home. But to Military Intelligence, Pvt Snuffy's flag (reading Ordinance Co, Islamic Army of Iraq, or bearing the Seal of Muhammad as per an AQ banner) might provide an important link to another case they are working on. Perhaps they are tracking a bomb maker who they know to be associated with IAI; if this flag turns up in an unrelated raid on an insurgent compound, it means they may have their bomb maker in custody right now, or perhaps someone who knows him, and they wouldn't have even known it if it weren't for this crucial piece of evidence being handed in.

 

So IMO that's why you won't see many in private hands. They're more along the lines of documents rather than typical military equipment, and they need to be turned over to folks who are putting the puzzles together.