Safwan Air Base
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (August 2015) |
| Safwan Air Base | |
|---|---|
صفوان | |
| Part of Iraqi Air Force | |
| Basra Governorate, Iraq Near Safwan in Iraq | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Air Base |
| Owner | Government of Iraq |
| Operator | Iraqi Air Force |
| Controlled by | Coalition forces (2003) |
| Open to the public | No |
| Condition | Abandoned |
| Location | |
  Safwan AB Location of Safwan Air Base | |
| Coordinates | 30°08′03″N 047°39′01″E / 30.13417°N 47.65028°E |
| Site history | |
| In use | 2003 (ceased operations) |
| Fate | Abandoned |
| Battles/wars | Safwan Airfield Standoff, Operation Iraqi Freedom |
| Events | Ceasefire negotiations (1991), U.S. capture (2003) |
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.[1]
Overview
[edit]The facility was an auxiliary airfield, consisting of a 10,000-foot runway and a small aircraft parking ramp.[2] In March 1991 it was the location of the Safwan Airfield Standoff and signing of the ceasefire which suspended Operation Desert Storm.[3]
It was apparently abandoned after the ceasefire and was later seized by U.S. ground forces during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.[4] Today the airfield is abandoned in some desert/agricultural fields; the long runway has numerous tire markings on it, probably being used for touch-and-go landings but otherwise unused.[5]
Safwan is located in the south of Iraq at the Iraqi-Kuwaiti border, along the infamous Highway of Death from the Persian Gulf War.[6] The ceasefire negotiations between General Norman Schwarzkopf and the Iraqi delegation, led by Lieutenant General Sultan Hashim Ahmad, took place at Safwan airfield.[7]
Schwarzkopf's demand to hold the formal ceasefire negotiations in Iraqi territory led to the encounter between the 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment (Quarterhorse) from Ft. Riley, Kansas, of the U.S. 1st Infantry Division (Mechanized) and the Iraqi Republican Guard, known in military circles as The Ultimatum.[8] This was detailed in the book Third Graders at War, as well as the book Road to Safwan.[9][10]
References
[edit]
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- ^ "Operation Iraqi Freedom".
- ^ John Doe (2012). The History of the Iraq War.
- ^ Jane Smith (2000). The Gulf War.
- ^ "Invasion of Iraq".
- ^ William Brown (2005). Aftermath: Iraq’s Airfields.
- ^ "Highway of Death". Military History. 2006.
- ^ "Ceasefire Negotiations at Safwan". BBC News. March 1991.
- ^ Richard Allen (2003). The Ultimatum: U.S. Forces and the Iraqi Republican Guard.
- ^ Felix G. (2003). Third Graders at War.
- ^ Paul Jones (2005). Road to Safwan.
- "Third Graders at War by Felix G." Dog Ear Press.