National Defense Battalions (Iraq)
| National Defense Battalions كتائب الدفاع الوطني | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1961–2003 |
| Allegiance | Ba'athist Iraq |
| Type | Paramilitary Gendarmerie Auxiliary force |
| Role | Reserve army Counter-insurgency Infantry scouts Light infantry Internal security |
| Size | 250,000 (1987) 412,636 (1989) 100,000 (1991) 1,000 (2002) |
| Part of | Northern Bureau |
| Garrison/HQ | Erbil |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Commander of the Northern Bureau | Ali Hassan al-Majid |
The National Defense Battalions (Arabic: كتائب الدفاع الوطني; NDB) were an Iraqi Kurdish paramilitary and gendarmerie force. They were initially formed as a Kurdish pro-government militia used by Abdul-Karim Qasim during the First Iraqi–Kurdish War. However, under Saddam Hussein, the NDB grew exponentially in size and was incorporated into the government's security apparatus and played a prominent role in the Iran-Iraq War. Many of its members defected to the Peshmerga during the 1991 Iraqi uprisings. However, despite being weakened, the NDB survived until it was dissolved after the 2003 invasion of Iraq.