The Counter Terrorism Service (CTS; Arabic: جهاز مكافحة الارهاب) is an Iraqi security and intelligence agency tasked with counterterrorism.

They are an elite special operations force composed of three brigades based in several governorates, and who are often collectively referred to as the Golden Division.

[3][4][5] During the occupation of Iraq, all military, security, and intelligence entities of the country were dissolved by the Coalition Provisional Authority following the issuance of CPA Order 2, and rebuilt from scratch.

In late 2003, a commando battalion was recruited from scratch, mostly from Arabs (Shias and Sunnis), Kurds, Assyrians and Turkmen.

[9] Another more clandestine battalion named the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Force (ICTF), with robust intelligence capabilities and specialised in counterterrorism and hostage rescue, was also formed at the same time.

[14][15][16] After the U.S. left in 2011, the CTS struggled without American intelligence, air strikes, logistical capabilities, and medical care.

[17] Journalist/researcher Michael R. Gordon was told that with the withdrawal of the U.S. Army and Air Force, and the fraying of Iraqi capabilities, Maliki had saddled the CTS "with a burgeoning array of missions that included manning checkpoints, escorting convoys, protecting voting centres, and doing battle with militants in densely populated Iraqi cities.

A specialised force that had been designed to carry out lightning raids against terrorist cells (with considerable [U.S.] support) had become a jack-of-all-trades that was being tasked to deal with the upheaval in Iraq.