Camp Speicher Explained

Tikrit Air Academy
Al Sahra Airfield
Ensign:Flag of Iraq.svg
Ensign Size:90px
Nearest Town:Tikrit, Saladin Governorate
Country:Iraq
Pushpin Map:Iraq
Pushpin Label:Tikrit Air Academy
Pushpin Map Caption:Shown within Iraq
Ownership:Ministry of Defence
Operator:Iraqi Air Force
Used:1973–present
Elevation:130m (430feet)
R1-Number:14/32
R1-Length:3120m (10,240feet)
R1-Surface:Asphalt

Majid al Tamimi Airbase, officially known as the Tikrit Air Academy and formerly as Al Sahra Airfield (under Saddam Hussein) is an air installation near Tikrit in northern Iraq. The installation is approximately 170 kilometers (105 mi) north of Baghdad and 11 kilometers (6.8 mi) west of the Tigris River. Prior to 2003, Al Sahra Airfield was the main base of the Iraqi Air Force Air Academy.[1] The Marines from Task Force Tripoli captured the base from the Iraqi Army during the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq and turned it over to the United States Army who used it as the headquarters of the United States Division–North (USD-N, formerly Multinational Division, North, (MND-N)). The airfield is served by two main runways measuring 9600feet long with a shorter runway measuring 7200feet. The Americans named the airfield after Captain Michael Scott Speicher, a United States Navy pilot who was killed in action in Iraq during the Gulf War.

Early history

The base was one of several Iraqi Air Force airfields in the mid-1970s which were re-built under project "Super-Base" in response to the experiences from Arab–Israeli wars in 1967 and 1973.[2]

American presence (2003–2011)

Overview

During the start of the Iraq War in 2003, the main runway and some taxiways were cut by bomb hits, and the large main hangar structure was destroyed. The remains of the other large hangar next to it burned down in a large fire in July 2003. The original unit to take control of the base was Aco 14th Engineer BN, 555th Engineer Group, 1-10th Cavalry of the 4th Infantry Division. The base was then handed over to the 4th Aviation Brigade of the 4th Infantry Division in the second week of the war.

The Americans originally christened the base Forward Logistics Base (FLB) Sycamore,[3] but the name was later changed to Forward Operating Base Speicher[4] and then Contingency Operating Base Speicher.[5] The name was changed in honor of Scott Speicher, an American pilot who was shot down in 1991 during the Gulf War.

American soldiers, civilians, and contractors had access to a variety of amenities over the course of the American presence at the base. The base had a large Post Exchange (PX), as well as several American fast food restaurants, including Subway, Burger King, and Pizza Hut.[6]

Units

Aviation

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

The US Army left COB Speicher and handed it over to the Government of Iraq on 20 October 2011 as part of the general withdrawal of US Forces. Camp Speicher is currently used by the Iraqi Army and Air Force.

ISIL attack

See also: Camp Speicher massacre. By mid June 2014, Tikrit was overrun by the militant group Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Iraqi Air Force cadets reported that many of the camp's officers fled as ISIS approached, and, as a result, several thousand Shia cadets and other personnel abandoned their uniforms and began to walk toward Baghdad.[8] Several miles from the camp, they were confronted and taken prisoners by approximately fifty ISIL militants in armored vehicles. Following their capture, about 1,700 were killed in mass shooting executions. A video released by ISIL in July showed the executions done in several locations including shooting the cadets in trenches and then throwing the bodies in the River Tigris. In early September, corpses were seen floating on the surface. Very few managed to escape unharmed and survive.[9] [10]

Camp Speicher was contested throughout the summer of 2014. The Daily Telegraph reported in June that Speicher was at one point under the control of ISIL,[11] but according to later accounts, ISIL never captured the airfield.

On 17 July, following the Iraqi Army's defeat in the First Battle of Tikrit, insurgents launched an assault on the camp, where an estimated 700 government soldiers and 150 Iranian or Iraqi Shia militiamen were besieged.[12] The assault included snipers and suicide bombers and the militants quickly managed to reach the runway, at which point Iraqi special forces joined the battle.[13] The base was bombarded and mortared all night. By the next morning, according to various sources, the final pocket of government troops had collapsed. At least 25–35 insurgents were also killed. Iraqi forces attempted to save the base's aircraft by flying them out, but according to ISIL 8–9 helicopters were destroyed on the ground or shot down, with several armored vehicles destroyed as well.[14] The Iraqi Army denied the alleged capture of the base with soldiers from the front line reporting that Speicher was still under their control,[15] with only three soldiers being killed, one helicopter destroyed and two damaged. A Tikrit resident also reported continued fighting around the base.[16] Two days later, the military reported that Iraqi special forces had re-secured the base.[17]

See also

References

Bibliography

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Dina Rasor. Robert Bauman. Betraying Our Troops: The Destructive Results of Privatizing War. registration. 1 May 2007. Palgrave Macmillan. 978-1-4039-8192-9. 131.
  2. Web site: Second Death of the IrAF. Tom Cooper. Farzad Bishop. acig.info. 2015-07-27.
  3. Book: Amy Yarsinske. An American in the Basement: The Betrayal of Captain Scott Speicher and the Cover-up of His Death. 1 July 2013. Trine Day. 978-1-937584-21-4. 305.
  4. Web site: $5.8M to improve FOB Speicher, Iraq. 3 June 2008. 25 July 2015. Defense Industry Daily.
  5. Book: Pat Proctor. Task Force Patriot and the End of Combat Operations in Iraq. 28 December 2011. Rowman & Littlefield. 978-1-60590-778-9. 21.
  6. Web site: In Iraq, soldiers also fight battle of the bulge. cleveland.com. December 2008 . 2015-07-25.
  7. Web site: 118th Area Support Medical Battalion. John Pike. globalsecurity.org.
  8. News: Escaping Death in Northern Iraq. Arango. Tim. 2014-09-04. New York Times. 2014-09-04.
  9. Web site: Iraq: ISIS Execution Site Located. Human Rights Watch. 26 June 2014 .
  10. Web site: Group: Islamic Militants Killed 770 Iraqi Troops – Video Dailymotion. Wochit Headline News. Dailymotion.
  11. Web site: Iraq crisis: ISIS jihadists execute dozens of captives. Richard Spencer. Telegraph. 15 June 2014. 2015-07-25.
  12. Web site: Islamic State overwhelms Iraqi forces at Tikrit in major defeat. Miami Herald. 16 October 2014.
  13. Web site: IS-led Militants Storm Iraqi Air Base near Tikrit. Naharnet. 16 October 2014.
  14. Web site: Islamic State overruns Camp Speicher, routs Iraqi forces. 19 July 2014 . Longwarjournal.org. 16 October 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20150326164552/http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/07/iraqi_military_says_it_retakes.php. 26 March 2015.
  15. Web site: The Iraqi Army's Alamo: Standoff in Tikrit. The Daily Beast. 16 October 2014.
  16. Web site: Multiple bombings in Baghdad kill at least 27. Al Jazeera America. 16 October 2014.
  17. Web site: Iraqi military says it retakes control of key base in Tikrit. Long War Journal. 21 July 2014 . 16 October 2014.

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