 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations .(August 2015) |
| Safwan Air Base | |
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| Coordinates | 30°08′03″N047°39′01″E / 30.13417°N 47.65028°E |
Safwan Air Base is a former Iraqi Air Force base in the Basra Governorate of Iraq. It was captured by Coalition forces during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.
The facility was an auxiliary airfield, consisting of a 10,000 foot runway and a small aircraft parking ramp. In March 1991 it was the location of the Safwan Airfield Standoff and signing of the Cease-Fire which suspended Operation Desert Storm.
It was apparently abandoned after the cease-fire and was later seized by U.S. ground forces during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Today the airfield is abandoned in some desert/agricultural fields; the long runway has numerous tire markings on it, probably being used for touch/go landings but otherwise unused.
Safwan is located in the south of Iraq at Iraqi Kuwaiti border, along the infamous Highway of Death from the Persian Gulf War. The cease-fire negotiations between General Norman Schwarzkopf and the Iraqi delegation led by Lieutenant General Sultan Hashim Ahmad took place at Safwan airfield.
Schwarzkopf's demand to hold the formal cease-fire negotiations in Iraqi territory led to the encounter between the 1st squadron, 4th Cavalry regiment (Quarterhorse) from Ft. Riley, Ks. of the U.S. 1st Infantry Division (Mechanized) and the Iraqi Republican Guard, known in military circles as The Ultimatum. This was detailed in the book Third Graders At War, as well as the book Road to Safwan.
The Gulf War was an armed conflict between Iraq and a 42-country coalition led by the United States. The coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: Operation Desert Shield, which marked the military buildup from August 1990 to January 1991; and Operation Desert Storm, which began with the aerial bombing campaign against Iraq on 17 January 1991 and came to a close with the American-led Liberation of Kuwait on 28 February 1991.
Herbert Norman Schwarzkopf Jr. was a United States Army general. While serving as the commander of United States Central Command, he led all coalition forces in the Gulf War against Ba'athist Iraq.
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1991.
Barry Richard McCaffrey is a retired United States Army general and current news commentator, professor and business consultant who served in President Bill Clinton's Cabinet as the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. He received three Purple Heart medals for injuries sustained during his service in the Vietnam War, two Silver Stars, and two Distinguished Service Crosses—the second-highest United States Army award for valor. He was inducted into United States Army Ranger Hall of Fame at the United States Army Infantry Center at Fort Benning in 2007.
The Battle of 73 Easting was fought on 26 February 1991, during the Gulf War, between Coalition armored forces and Iraqi armored forces. It was named for a UTM north–south coordinate line that was used as a phase line by Coalition forces to measure their progress through the desert. The battle was later described by Lt. John Mecca, a participant, as "the last great tank battle of the 20th century." This battle took place several hours after another, smaller, tank battle at Al Busayyah.
Safwan is a town in southeast Iraq on the border with Kuwait. It was the site of the Safwan Air Base.
The Battle of Norfolk was a tank battle fought on February 27, 1991, during the Persian Gulf War, between armored forces of the United States and United Kingdom, and those of the Iraqi Republican Guard in the Muthanna Province of southern Iraq. The primary participants were the U.S. 2nd Armored Division (Forward), 1st Infantry Division (Mechanized), and the Iraqi 18th Mechanized and 9th Armoured Brigades of the Republican Guard Tawakalna Mechanized Infantry Division along with elements from eleven other Iraqi divisions. The 2nd Armored Division(Fwd) was assigned to the American 1st Infantry Division as its 3rd maneuver brigade due to the fact that one of its brigades was not deployed. The 2nd Armored Division(Fwd)'s Task Force 1-41 Infantry would be the spearhead of VII Corps. The British 1st Armoured division was responsible for protecting the right flank of VII Corps, their main adversary being the Iraqi 52nd Armored Division and multiple infantry divisions. It was the final battle of the war before the unilateral ceasefire took effect.
The 3rd Ranger Battalion, currently based at Fort Moore, Georgia, is the third of three Ranger Battalions belonging to the United States Army's 75th Ranger Regiment.
Bruce Bennett Gorham Clarke is a former United States Army officer. Clarke is currently president of Bruce Clarke Consultants, Inc., a defense consulting firm. He is widely published on military and national security affairs, including in his book Expendable Warriors (2007) and in a regular column for the Examiner.
The Safwan Airfield standoff was a post-ceasefire standoff between Iraqi and U.S. forces at the end of the 1991 Gulf War.
Al Taqaddum Airbase or Al Taqaddum AB, called TQ in military shorthand slang, is an air base that is located in central Iraq, approximately 74 kilometers west of Baghdad, at Habbaniyah. The airfield is served by two runways 13,000 and 12,000 feet (3,700 m) long. Since 2004, it has been known as Camp Taqaddum. It was formerly known as Tammuz Airbase.
Muthenna Air Base is a former Iraqi Air Force base in the Baghdad Governorate of Iraq. It was captured by U.S.-led Coalition forces during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.
H-1 Air Base is a former Iraqi Air Force base in the Al-Anbar Governorate of Iraq. It was captured by U.S.-led Coalition forces during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. Since then it has remained abandoned.
H-3 Air Base is part of a cluster of former Iraqi Air Force bases in the Al-Anbar Governorate of Iraq. H3 is located in a remote stretch of Iraq's western desert, about 435 kilometers from Baghdad in western Iraq. It is close to the Syrian–Iraqi border, and near the highway that connects Jordan with Baghdad.
Ar Rumaylah Southwest Air Base is a former Iraqi Air Force base in the Basra Governorate of Iraq.
Sahl Sinjar Air Base is a former Iraqi Air Force base in the Nineveh Governorate of Iraq. It was captured by Coalition forces during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.
Salum Air Base is a former Iraqi Air Force base in the Diyala Governorate of Iraq. It was captured by Coalition forces during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.
Shaykh Mazhar Air Base, known today as As Suwayrah Air Base is a former Iraqi Air Force base in the Wasit Governorate of Iraq approximately 46 kilometers southwest of Baghdad, and about 13 kilometers west of the city of Al-Suwaira. It was captured by U.S.-led Coalition forces during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. It was called Camp Zulu when it was under American control. The Air base was transferred to the Iraqi army on August 21, 2005.
Ubaydah Bin Al Jarrah Air Base is an Iraqi Army Aviation Corps base near Kut, Wasit Governorate, Iraq. It was captured by U.S.-led Coalition forces during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.
Injanah Air Base is a former Iraqi Air Force base in the Diyala Governorate of Iraq. It was captured by U.S.-led Coalition forces during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency.