In the heart of the brutal battle to reclaim Mosul from ISIS control in late 2016 and early 2017, a PBS FRONTLINE documentary titled Hunting ISIS offers a gripping, embedded portrait of Iraq’s most elite fighting force: the 1st Commando Battalion of the Iraqi Special Operations Forces, better known as the Golden Division.
Directed and filmed by Olivier Sarbil, this 24-minute film (part of a two-part hour that also includes Battle for Iraq) follows the soldiers as they conduct intense door-to-door operations in eastern Mosul’s densely populated neighborhoods. These highly trained commandos, part of the Counter Terrorism Service, are at the forefront—or “tip of the spear”—of the Iraqi offensive to liberate the city, which had fallen to ISIS in 2014.
The documentary centers on the unit’s push into the Tahreer district, where ISIS fighters are embedded among civilians, using the population as shields. Led by young officers like 25-year-old Sunni Muslim 1st Lieutenant Anmar Alshamry from Baghdad, the soldiers methodically clear houses, establish forward bases in tall buildings for sniper positions, and detain suspected ISIS members based on intelligence from local informants, physical clues (such as fresh haircuts indicating recent emergence from hiding), or suspicious items like multiple ID cards.
The footage captures the chaos and tension of urban warfare: soldiers navigating narrow streets under constant threat of snipers, navigating terrified families emerging from basements after weeks or months under ISIS rule, and responding to sudden attacks. One sequence shows the aftermath of a suicide car bomb detonating nearby, highlighting ISIS’s tactic of using vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs) to devastating effect. Coalition airstrikes are called in to target ISIS positions, with radio chatter from the militants urging jihad adding to the psychological strain.
Interactions with civilians reveal the complex human dynamics of the conflict. Families express relief at liberation but also fear—some restricted from crossing into ISIS-held areas to prevent potential infiltration. Detainees are questioned on the spot, with soldiers balancing the need for security against the risk of alienating the population amid reports of past sectarian tensions in the Iraqi forces.
The film underscores the Golden Division’s reputation as Iraq’s most professional and effective unit, trained extensively for counterinsurgency and urban combat. Yet it doesn’t shy away from the grim realities: high casualties among the troops, the moral challenges of fighting in civilian areas, and disturbing discoveries, such as the body of a decapitated ISIS fighter (source unknown).
Narrated by Will Lyman, Hunting ISIS humanizes the soldiers’ determination to rid their country of the terrorist group that imposed a reign of terror, including executions, enslavement, and strict Sharia enforcement. As the unit secures eastern Mosul, the documentary ends on a note of ongoing sacrifice, with the harder fight for western Mosul looming and hundreds of thousands of civilians still trapped.
Produced in association with Channel 4 and Mongoose Pictures, the film provides rare, raw access to one of the most dangerous battlefields of the anti-ISIS campaign. It stands as a testament to the courage of Iraqi forces who bore the brunt of the ground war, ultimately contributing to the defeat of ISIS’s territorial caliphate in Iraq by mid-2017.
Originally aired on January 31, 2017, Hunting ISIS remains a powerful chronicle of a pivotal chapter in the fight against one of the world’s most notorious terrorist organizations.
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