Al Asad Airbase

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Al Asad
Al Asad Air Base Patch 2007.jpg
Characteristics
ICAO code ORAA
Coordinates

33 ° 47 '8 "  N , 42 ° 26' 28"  E Coordinates: 33 ° 47 '8 "  N , 42 ° 26' 28"  E
Height above MSL 188 m (617  ft )
Transport links
Distance from the city center 13 km southwest of Chan al-Baghdadi
Runways
09L / 27R 4000 m × 60 m
09R / 27L 4000 m × 45 m
08/26 3086 m × 103 m



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AH-64D Apache at Al Asad Airfield

The Al Asad Airbase ( Arabic قاعدة عين الأسد الجوية Qāʿidat ʿain al-asad al-dschawwiyya ; ICAO code : ORAA) is a military airfield of the armed forces of Iraq and the United States . It is located in western Iraq in the province of al-Anbar about 13 km southwest of the village of Chan al-Baghdadi . It was the second largest US military base during Operation Iraqi Freedom . Until January 2010 it was the home of the II Marine Expeditionary Force and the Multi-National Force West . Other operators included the 4th Combat Brigade of the 3rd US Infantry Division , the 82nd US Airborne Division , the 332nd US Medical Brigade , the 321st US Support Brigade , the Vertical Onboard Delivery Detachment-1 (VOD-1), the electronic Assault Squadron 142 (VAQ-142), the US Navy Customs Battalion Juliet , parts of the Seventh Division of the Iraqi Army and the US Air Force . Because of the numerous amenities in the base, it was also called "Camp Cupcake", although during the following years there was a great danger from IS and the base was on the first line of defense. At the end of 2017, all amenities were removed. The only place to eat is the Chow Hall (German: feeding hall). Water is scarce and showering is restricted. In the spring of 2015, 300 US instructors were working here to train Iraqi soldiers.

As part of Operation Inherent Resolve , not only US soldiers but also British soldiers from the IV Battalion The Rifles are stationed in February 2017.

geography

The military airfield is located near the city of Hīt in al-Anbar province, approximately 160 kilometers west of Baghdad and 8 kilometers west of the city of Chan al-Baghdadi . The airfield is separated by the al-Asadī-Wadi, a wadi that runs through the oasis along the western border of the airfield and then runs eastward, where it finally flows into the Euphrates at Chan al-Baghdadi . This oasis is called “Abraham's Well” there.

history

Qadisiyah Airbase

Sandstorm in Al Asad

The military airbase was originally called Qadisiyah Airbase , a reference to the battle of al-Qādisīya (636 AD).

The base was built sometime between 1981 and 1987 by an association of Yugoslav companies under contract with the Iraqi government. Two Yugoslav government agencies led the project. The Federal Directorate for Procurement and Contracting (FDSP) acted as a project manager and Aeroengineering as a project engineer. Known as "Project 202-B" and "Project 1100" were Granit and Vranica dd Sarajevo among the companies involved .

Air Force One at Al Asad Airbase

The $ 280 million project at Qadisiyah Airbase included accommodation for 5,000 people and the necessary infrastructure for public facilities (mosques, outdoor and indoor swimming pools, soccer field, sports hall, cinema, library, elementary school, secondary school, hospital and Clinic) and military facilities such as a military airport, shelters for personnel and equipment, Hardened Aircraft Shelters (HAS) for combat aircraft and military barracks. The HAS built there and all over Iraq by the Yugoslavs were nicknamed "Yugos". At the time, they were considered modern, but became obsolete after the development of the laser-guided bomb GBU-28 in 1991.

Before the 2003 invasion of Iraq , three Iraq Air Force units were housed with MiG-25 and MiG-21 . Shortly after the start of the invasion, the base was deserted and was renamed Al Asad Airbase , which is Arabic and means "The Lion" in German.

Iraq War 2003-2011

Originally the military airfield was secured by the Australian Special Air Service Regiment during the Iraq War and was then handed over to the 3rd US Cavalry Regiment in May 2003 . The 3rd Cavalry was finally relieved in March 2004 by the Marines of the I. Marine Expeditionary Force . The military airfield became the largest US base in western Iraq and the western equivalent of the Baghdad Green Zone .

The airfield served as a large hub for convoys and housed hundreds of tankers and supply trucks . Large shipments of fuel often came along dangerous routes from the Jordan , but most shipments remained untouched despite attempts by rebels. A single one of these deliveries could take several days while the trucks drove eight hours a day.

Like other bases in Iraq, Al Asad offered various amenities such as an indoor swimming pool, a cinema (which was a replica of the Sustainer Theater in Camp Anaconda ), post office, a moral, welfare and recreation center , several gyms, post exchange ( Sales point for members of the US Army), various restaurant chains such as Burger King , Cinnabon , Kentucky Fried Chicken , Pizza Hut and Subway , a combat support hospital and a Green Beans branch. The base is able to independently produce drinking water using a treatment plant with reverse osmosis and a bottling plant . Most of the houses are containers that have been converted into living areas. However, some of the original dwellings have remained and are still in use. In addition, tents were used in transition phases to accommodate up to twice as many troops as normal. The base was a frequent destination for famous figures and politicians who visited U.S. forces in Iraq, such as: B. Chuck Norris and Toby Keith . While the cities and roads near the base were just as dangerous as anywhere else in Iraq, the base is relatively remote and easily accessible by air. The base was often attacked by rebels, but suffered little to no damage, although losses were occasional.

The controversial song Hadji Girl was recorded at the base. On September 3, 2007, President George W. Bush , Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice , Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Chief of Staff Peter Pace visited the base and spent Labor Day with the stationed service staff .

When the Marines withdrew from Iraq, the base remained as one of the only ones in Al-Anbar to be occupied by the United States. In 2009 and 2010, the Marines of the II Marine Expeditionary Forces removed most of the armaments and personnel from the base. This was completed in March 2010. On December 16, 2011, the last civilians were also taken away by air and the base was officially closed on December 31, 2011.

Measures against the Islamic State

The Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force - Crisis Response - Central Command (SP-MAGTF-CR-CC) returned in September 2014, Command Officer Col. Jason Bohm said, "It was like being in a slum. Our headquarters were former quarters of the Marine Air Logistics Squadron. There were objects that were simply left lying around. Even newspapers with the date when the last person was in the office. It was just very dusty. "

In late October 2014, the military airfield and the region were attacked by fighters from the Islamic State (IS). 50 US advisers were sent to the base. To conduct a site survey, they were able to use the accommodation to support the Iraqi military, said Navy commander Elissa Smith, a Defense Department spokeswoman. The base now houses 320 consultants.

During the early morning hours of September 14, 2014, the US Marines housed there, as well as the Iraqi Army and tribal forces , met with the Islamic State near the Ein al-Asad base , west of Al-Anbar , in an attempt to remove them from the base, in which 100 US advisors were housed at the time when the Islamic State tried to take the base. An Iraqi army field commander in Al-Anbar province reported: "The US forces, armed with light and medium weapons and supported by F-18 fighter jets , were able to harm and force IS fighters a retreat from al-Dolab, which is 10 kilometers from the base. Sheikh Mahmud Nimrawi, a famous tribal leader from the region, added that US forces intervened as ISIS fighters approached the base and used it for self-defense which he hopes “will not be the last.” This was the first encounter between the Islamic State and the US in four years. However, this claim was deemed false by the Pentagon . In October 2014, the base and the immediate area under repeated attacks by IS fighters.

On January 5, 2015, the Pentagon confirmed that ISIS had ineffectively harmed the grassroots.

From 6th to 7th On February 1st, Iraqi soldiers were taught basic defense and hideout strategies by Danish soldiers, base forces and the US Navy.

In February 2015, the Islamic State took control of most of the city of al-Baghdadi and began what a spokeswoman for the Defense Ministry described as "pointless indirect firing" against the al-Asad military base. Later, according to CBN News, "eight suicide bombers made it to the base on February 13, but were immediately killed by a counterattack." CBN News also reported that ISIS has been bombarding the base regularly over the past few days, but there have not been any Reports of damage from the fire. In early March, Iraqi forces expelled Islamic State from the base.

On December 26, 2018, US President Donald Trump visited the US soldiers stationed at the military base as part of Operation Inherent Resolve . According to media reports, soldiers from the United States Navy SEALs (SEAL Team FIVE) are also stationed on the base.

Iran conflict 2020

On January 8, 2020, Iranian state television reported that Iran had fired multiple missiles at the military base. According to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard , the attack was in retaliation for the US military's killing of Qasem Soleimani . 109 US soldiers suffered traumatic brain injury in an Iranian missile attack.

Web links

Commons : Al Asad Airbase  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ ORAA - Al Asad Airport. In: skyvector.com. SkyVector, accessed February 19, 2015 .
  2. ^ Al Asad Airbase, Al Anbar - Airforce Technology . In: Airforce Technology . ( airforce-technology.com [accessed October 8, 2018]).
  3. ↑ Success against IS: Iraqi army recaptures the city of Al-Baghdadi from IS . In: Spiegel Online . March 6, 2015 ( spiegel.de [accessed October 8, 2018]).
  4. ^ Military History Online - A Brief History of Al Asad Air Base, Iraq During Operation Desert Storm. Retrieved October 10, 2018 .
  5. ↑ GRANIT - History. April 30, 2011, accessed October 10, 2018 .
  6. ↑ a b Wayback Machine. December 15, 2013, accessed October 10, 2018 .
  7. ^ John Pike: Al Asad Airfield. Retrieved October 10, 2018 .
  8. ^ Australians in Iraq 2003 | The Australian War Memorial. Accessed October 10, 2018 .
  9. ↑ Marine Cpl. Andrew D. Brownfield. February 17, 2015, accessed October 10, 2018 .
  10. ↑ Deployed embark Marines master tricky logistical limbo in Iraq. June 4, 2011, accessed October 10, 2018 .
  11. ^ Richard Whittle: SP-MAGTF Commander Details ISIL Strikes; Notes 1st Marines 'Could Clear' Iraq . In: Breaking Defense . ( breakingdefense.com [accessed October 10, 2018]).
  12. ↑ a b Islamic State seizes Hit, assaults Iraqi military headquarters in Anbar | FDD's Long War Journal . In: FDD's Long War Journal . October 2, 2014 ( longwarjournal.org [accessed October 10, 2018]).
  13. ^ A b National Iraqi News Agency - NINA. October 5, 2014, accessed October 10, 2018 .
  14. ^ First ground clash between ISIS and US forces in Iraq. December 17, 2014, accessed October 10, 2018 .
  15. ↑ US servicemen in first ground battle with ISIS - Kurdish media . In: RT International . ( rt.com [accessed October 10, 2018]).
  16. ^ Reports of US Ground Fighters Emerge as ISIS Gains in Iraq . In: The Fiscal Times . ( thefiscaltimes.com [accessed October 10, 2018]).
  17. ^ American troops battle ISIS for first time . In: Mail Online . ( dailymail.co.uk [accessed October 10, 2018]).
  18. ↑ US Ground Troops Fighting Isis In Iraq - Colmes Quarters. December 19, 2014, accessed October 10, 2018 .
  19. ↑ Hundreds of US troops now deployed in Iraq's Anbar province . In: Stars and Stripes . ( stripes.com [accessed October 10, 2018]).
  20. ↑ US Troops Now Under 'Frequent' Attack at Iraqi Base. Accessed October 10, 2018 .
  21. ↑ Dig in; Iraqi soldiers conduct defense, ambush training . In: The Official United States Marine Corps Public Website . ( marines.mil [accessed October 10, 2018]).
  22. ↑ Reuters Editorial: Islamic State fighters seize western Iraqi town: officials . In: US ( reuters.com [accessed October 10, 2018]).
  23. ↑ ISIS on the doorstep? Fighters reportedly seize Iraqi town near base holding US Marines . In: Fox News . May 26, 2015 ( foxnews.com [accessed October 10, 2018]).
  24. ^ Bombers make it onto Iraq base used by US troops . ( cbsnews.com [accessed October 10, 2018]).
  25. ↑ Hope Hodge Seck: IS militants pushed out of village near Marine base . In: Marine Corps Times . August 7, 2017 ( marinecorpstimes.com [accessed October 10, 2018]).
  26. ↑ Trump apparently reveals the location of a secret special unit. In: FAZ.net . December 27, 2018, accessed December 27, 2018 .
  27. ↑ Reports - Several missiles hit Iraqi base with US soldiers. In: t-online.de . January 8, 2020, accessed January 8, 2020 .
  28. ↑ State media: Iran fires missiles on Iraqi base with US troops. In: tagesschau.de . January 8, 2020, accessed January 8, 2020 .
  29. ↑ 109 US soldiers suffered traumatic brain injury in an Iranian missile attack. In: spiegel.de . February 11, 2020, accessed February 22, 2020.