Ismail Isakov was born on 11 June 1950 in Sopu-Korgon. In 1973 he graduated from the Tashkent Higher All-Arms Command School and served as commander of a motorized rifle platoon of the Southern Group of Forces. In 1984 he graduated from the Frunze Military Academy. From 1984 to 1995, he went from the chief of staff of the regiment to the first deputy minister of defense of the Kyrgyz Republic. He carried out tasks to strengthen the Tajik-Afghan border as part of the collective peacekeeping forces in the Republic of Tajikistan. In 1996 he studied at the Academy of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. He received the rank of Major General.