Task Force 6-26
Encyclopedia
Task Force 6–26 is a United States Joint military/Government Agency unit; originally set-up to find "High Value Targets" (HVT's) in Iraq in the aftermath of Operation Iraqi Freedom. This Special Operation
unit is very similar to Task Force 121
which was created to capture Saddam Hussein
and high rank Al-Qaeda
members. The name keeps changing for Operational Security reasons. The main objective of Task Force 6–26 was the capture or liquidation of terror leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
, who led Al-Qaeda in Iraq
. The unit is made up of U.S. Special Operations Forces members including the Delta Force
, DEVGRU
and the 75th Ranger Regiment
along with the CIA
's Special Activities Division
. Other military and DIA
personnel are believed to have been involved as 'limited' members of the unit, along with FBI
agents.
Members of 6–26 had fanned out in areas ranging from Baghdad
, Mosul
and to Fallujah
and other areas in the contested Al Anbar province in search of al-Zarqawi, and have been very successful in eliminating many leaders of his group, and killing al-Zarqawi 7 June 2006.
The unit operated an interrogation
cell at Camp Nama
, one of Saddam Hussein's former military bases near Baghdad. There, American soldiers made one of the former Iraqi government's interrogation facilities into one of their own, calling it "The Black Room." In 2004 it was reported that the force was running a secret prison in Baghdad and abusing prisoners; the unit was implicated in two prisoner deaths. The unit has been under investigation since at least 2003, but prosecution has been elusive, as members of the unit used false identities and claimed to have lost 70 percent of their records due to a computer malfunction. The other primary name for the Task Force has been OCF, or Other Coalition Forces. In both cases the unit has command infrastructure in both theaters of war at an MSS (Mission Staging Site) in Baghdad Iraq and at OCF compound at Bagram Air Base
, Afghanistan.
United States Special Operations Forces
United States Special Operations Forces under United States Special Operations Command are active and reserve component forces of U.S. Military...
unit is very similar to Task Force 121
Task Force 121
Task Force 121 is an example of the United States' 'Joint Task Force' concept of conducting special operations. TF121 is a multi-service force commanded by U.S. Air Force Brigadier General Gregory L. Trebon. The spearhead of the force is a forty-man team made up of operators from the U.S. Army's...
which was created to capture Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
and high rank Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
members. The name keeps changing for Operational Security reasons. The main objective of Task Force 6–26 was the capture or liquidation of terror leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi ; October 30, 1966 – June 7, 2006), born Ahmad Fadeel al-Nazal al-Khalayleh was a Jordanian militant Islamist who ran a paramilitary training camp in Afghanistan...
, who led Al-Qaeda in Iraq
Al-Qaeda in Iraq
Al-Qaeda in Iraq is a popular name for the Iraqi division of the international Salafi jihadi militant organization al-Qaeda. It is recognized as a part of the greater Iraqi insurgency....
. The unit is made up of U.S. Special Operations Forces members including the Delta Force
Delta Force
1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta is one of the United States' secretive Tier One counter-terrorism and Special Mission Units. Commonly known as Delta Force, Delta, or The Unit, it was formed under the designation 1st SFOD-D, and is officially referred to by the Department of Defense...
, DEVGRU
United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group
The United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group , commonly known as DEVGRU and informally by its former name SEAL Team Six , is one of the United States' four secretive counter-terrorism and Special Mission Units .The vast majority of information about DEVGRU is highly classified, and...
and the 75th Ranger Regiment
75th Ranger Regiment (United States)
The 75th Ranger Regiment , also known as Rangers, is a Special Operations light infantry unit of the United States Army. The Regiment is headquartered in Fort Benning, Georgia with battalions in Fort Benning, Hunter Army Airfield and Joint Base Lewis-McChord...
along with the CIA
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
's Special Activities Division
Special Activities Division
The Special Activities Division is a division in the United States Central Intelligence Agency's National Clandestine Service responsible for covert operations known as "special activities"...
. Other military and DIA
Defense Intelligence Agency
The Defense Intelligence Agency is a member of the Intelligence Community of the United States, and is the central producer and manager of military intelligence for the United States Department of Defense, employing over 16,500 U.S. military and civilian employees worldwide...
personnel are believed to have been involved as 'limited' members of the unit, along with FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
agents.
Members of 6–26 had fanned out in areas ranging from Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
, Mosul
Mosul
Mosul , is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some northwest of Baghdad. The original city stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial...
and to Fallujah
Fallujah
Fallujah is a city in the Iraqi province of Al Anbar, located roughly west of Baghdad on the Euphrates. Fallujah dates from Babylonian times and was host to important Jewish academies for many centuries....
and other areas in the contested Al Anbar province in search of al-Zarqawi, and have been very successful in eliminating many leaders of his group, and killing al-Zarqawi 7 June 2006.
The unit operated an interrogation
Interrogation
Interrogation is interviewing as commonly employed by officers of the police, military, and Intelligence agencies with the goal of extracting a confession or obtaining information. Subjects of interrogation are often the suspects, victims, or witnesses of a crime...
cell at Camp Nama
Camp Nama
Camp Nama is a military base in Baghdad, Iraq, originally built by the government of Saddam Hussein, from which its name derives, and now used by U.S. military forces. Purportedly, the original Iraqi name has been repurposed by U.S. personnel involved with the facility as an acronym standing for...
, one of Saddam Hussein's former military bases near Baghdad. There, American soldiers made one of the former Iraqi government's interrogation facilities into one of their own, calling it "The Black Room." In 2004 it was reported that the force was running a secret prison in Baghdad and abusing prisoners; the unit was implicated in two prisoner deaths. The unit has been under investigation since at least 2003, but prosecution has been elusive, as members of the unit used false identities and claimed to have lost 70 percent of their records due to a computer malfunction. The other primary name for the Task Force has been OCF, or Other Coalition Forces. In both cases the unit has command infrastructure in both theaters of war at an MSS (Mission Staging Site) in Baghdad Iraq and at OCF compound at Bagram Air Base
Bagram Air Base
Bagram Airfield, also referred to as Bagram Air Base, is a militarized airport and housing complex that is located next to the ancient city of Bagram, southeast of Charikar in Parwan province of Afghanistan. The base is run by a US Army division headed by a major general. A large part of the base,...
, Afghanistan.