OpFor

The OpFor (short for Opposing Forces) is an military-political force that seized power in an unnamed Arab country following a violent coup d'état. They serve as the main antagonists during the first chapter of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare during the USMC segment of the campaign.

History
The OpFor, led by Khaled Al-Asad came to power during a violent military coup in the Capital City of an unnamed Arab country, securing its mineral wealth and cementing itself as a major power in the Middle East. Their coup culminated in the dramatic execution of former President Yasir Al-Fulani on international television.

Following their rise to power, American marines entered the country in an attempt to remove the OpFor from power. Though the search for Al-Asad was unsuccessful, the Americans were able to score multiple victories during their brief campaign. In just a few days, the bulk of Al-Asad's forces had been pushed back to the Capital City where they were making their last stand. However, as US forces closed in on the last enemy stronghold, the OpFor detonated a large nuclear warhead, obliterating all American forces in the vicinity.

It later became evident that the OpFor had been aided by the Ultranationalist rebels in order to draw attention away from the Russian civil war. The Ultranationalists had been supplying the OpFor with equipment, including weapons, vehicles, and, ultimately, nuclear ability.

Following Al-Asad's capture and subsequent execution by the SAS in Azerbaijan, it is likely that the OpFor either surrendered or were otherwise neutralized as a threat.

A faction called OpFor also appear in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, based in Afghanistan. The OpFor might have invaded the country to turn into a communist state like it was during the Soviet-Afghan War, though it shares some commonality with the previous OpFor organization (Similar faction symbol, posters of Al-Asad, etc). This can be dismissed, however, as the Afghanistan OpFor as well seem to be allied with the Ultranationalist Party, who now control Russia, as a variation of the Ultranationalist flag can be seen on the balcony in which the three unarmed foot mobiles watched the American convoy roll through near the beginning of Team Player. This most likely means that the forces in Afghanistan are Al-Asad's remaining soldiers or are a group which was influenced by Al-Asad's coup d'état in 2011 and wished to bring "independence" to their nation, as well as stop their "foreign oppression" by the Western nations and saw the Ultranationalists as their organization's greatest ally like Al-Asad's regime did before. The latter is the most likely. It is also a possibility that the nameless country is still sovereign and the current regime still exists even without Al-Asad. Evidence of this includes the language the soldiers speak in. Arabic is not widely spoken in Afghanistan, and supports the fact that the OpFor are actually foreigners. If they weren't, they would be likely be speaking speaking Dari (A dialect of Persian) or Pashtun, the major languages of Afghanistan. Another idea is that they could be members of the Taliban, who've had to take on board any volunteers they can find to continue fighting the ISAF coalition, and so got some ex-OpFor soldiers from Al-Asad's army.

Equipment
The OpFor was supplied mainly by the Ultranationalist forces of Russia. Most of their weapons and equipment are in use by the militaries of several Arab countries, mostly Soviet equipment with some American and German weapons as well. Some OpFor wear blue body armour, suggesting that some of their equipment is also gleaned from security forces, they also wear PASGT combat helmets which has only recently been dropped by the US armed forces (Except the USAF) in favour of the Marine LWH and the Army MICH TC-2000. Though they are relatively well-equipped, many weapons available to other factions are not present in the OpFor's armory.

The Afghanistan OpFor has a relatively better armory, having access to the updated AK-47, as well as numerous modern attachments like the Red Dot Sight. They also seem to have better armor, as they wear military-grade ballistic vests as opposed to blue Kevlar security vests.

They have a large assortment of armed vehicles, with BMP-2 and T-72 tanks, as well as an air force consisting primarily of helicopter dropships and gunships such as the Mi-24. During The Coup, several MiG-29 fighters are also seen. In addition, they also seem to have several infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs).

Small Arms

 * AK-47
 * AK-74u
 * Dragunov
 * GP-25
 * G3
 * M249 SAW (Mounted and Unmounted)
 * M9
 * RPD
 * RPG-7
 * USP .45
 * W1200
 * Desert Eagle, Gold most of the time (Only used by Khaled Al-Asad)
 * G18
 * FAL
 * Mini-Uzi
 * MP5K
 * TMP

Heavy Weapons

 * ZPU-4

Aircraft

 * Mi-8
 * Mi-24
 * MiG-29

Armored Vehicles

 * BMP-2
 * T-72
 * IFV



Nationality
The nationality of the OpFor is never explicitly stated. Reference to the in-game maps does not provide a conclusion either, however, as different missions take place in different locations throughout the Middle East. Some exposition given by Al-Asad in The Coup indicates that the nation was formerly a monarchy before President Al-Fulani was elected. Current and former monarchies would include Saudi Arabia, Iran (non-Arab), etc. While Charlie Don't Surf and The Bog take place within the coastal province of Makkah in Saudi Arabia, subsequent missions War Pig and Shock and Awe take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and the Basra Governorate, Iraq respectively. This evidence supports the idea that the OpFor nation is in fact fictional, and was created only for story and gameplay purposes. On a television in the mission Blackout, a news reporter describes it as a small but oil rich country.

In some scrapped single player levels, such as Designated Training the unknown country is specifically called "Saudi Arabia". This explains why most of the action in the Marine campaign is in Saudi Arabia and why OpFor troops use the G3, a weapon in use in Saudi Arabia, also, after Aftermath, the camera goes to a satellite image of part of the country is seen, which the coast looks similar to Saudi Arabia.

The new OpFor in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 fights in Afghanistan. Most likely, they are a force that have conquered the country and the word OpFor is simply used to indicate their roles as the opponents to the U.S. forces in the region. It is possible that the OpFor seem to want to "liberate" the Islamic Republic with their style of government; in fact, propaganda posters of a figure that looks like Al-Asad can be seen in the city in Team Player. The OpFor seem to be Arabic, since they seem to speak in that language rather than Pashtun.

Trivia

 * The word OpFor in U.S. military training refers to "Opposition Force" that the new recruits face in their training. American forces simply call them OpFor (seen in the multiplayer) for convenience's sake.
 * The OpFor could be a reference to or based on modern day terrorist groups, like Al-Qaeda or the Taliban. However, they also may be stylistically inspired by old Iraqi military and Fedayeen Saddam. They also happen to serve the same purpose as them. The ones in in Modern Warfare 2, however, are most likely based on the two aforementioned terrorist organizations as this unit of OpFor is located in Afghanistan which is a battlefield in the current War on Terrorism but unlike the two organizations they are not exactly militia, they are trained soldiers.
 * The OpFor are only featured in two levels in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Team Player & Endgame).
 * In multiplayer in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, the OpFor are the opposing team on all of the maps based on levels in Afghanistan, though if it followed by the singleplayer story, the OpFor should only actually appear in Invasion and Rust, as they appear in one of the two times as enemies in Team Player and Endgame, the level on which the maps are based on. The only level in Afghanistan that you ONLY fight Shadow Company is Just Like Old Times, though the multiplayer map Afghan is based on the level.
 * The OpFor speak Arabic, which makes sense if their homeland is Saudi Arabia, but appear in both Afghanistan and Pakistan (as evidence by Karachi, a large city in Pakistan), which mostly speak Dari/Pashtun and Urdu, respectively.
 * The OpFor in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare's have a more professional appearance, with the use of ballistic helmets, bulletproof vests and other military gear. However in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 the OpFor appear to have less gear and simply wear BDUs and chest rigs for the most part. This may be because ever since the events of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare the OpFor has weakened severely, and may have lost funding causing them to have less expensive gear. Another reason is that Infinity Ward wanted to make the OpFor seem more civilian, local and makeshift, this can be seen as the OpFor do not use any armor for vehicles(with the exception of two BMP's at the beginning of Team Player) and just use Technicals as opposed to in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare where the OpFor had Hinds, BMPs and T-72s. This could also be because the OpFor in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare were an actually military while the OpFor in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 may be a terrorist or militia faction based off of real terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
 * In Modern Warfare 2, the OpFor might have been taken over by a new leader. It could also be an Anti-Al-Asad army. It is unknown if the OpFor has retired or are still going.