Tal Afar Air Base

Tal Afar Air Base
FOB Sykes
Coordinates36°17′04″N 042°24′17″E / 36.28444°N 42.40472°E / 36.28444; 42.40472 (Tal Afar AB)
Tal Afar AB is located in Iraq
Tal Afar AB
Tal Afar AB
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Location of Tal Afar Air Base, Iraq

Tal Afar Air Base is a former Iraqi Air Force base near Tal Afar in the Nineveh Governorate of Iraq.

Tal Afar Air Base was a primary air base for the Iraqi Air Force. It has been constructed by the Belgian company SIX-CFE in 1982–1984. At each end of the main 10,000-ft longrunway are a dozen hardened aircraft shelters known as "Trapezoids" or "Yugos" which were built by Yugoslav contractors some time prior to 1985 with multiple runways and taxiways.

The base was heavily attacked by Coalition airpower during Operation Iraqi Freedom in March 2003, and seized by Coalition ground forces. Bruce Willis led his band to play for soldiers of the 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division at the airfield on September 25, 2003.[1]

The base was being used as a training camp for the Islamic State's Knights of War Battalion[2] until PMF recaptured the air base in November 2016.[3]

References

  1. ^ Scheherezade Faramarzi (26 September 2003). "Movie star Bruce Willis performs music for hundreds of soldiers in northern Iraq". Associated Press.
  2. ^ "Jihadists continue to advertise training camps in Iraq and Syria". The Long War Journal. Archived from the original on 7 February 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  3. ^ "The Fight for Mosul: One Month On". CNN World. 19 November 2016. Retrieved 19 November 2016.


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