The Abu Hajar Airport ( ar, مطار أبو حجر) is an

airfield An aerodrome ( Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for pub ...

near the town of

Rmelan Rmelan ( ar, رميلان, ku, Rimêlan) is a town in the al-Hasakah Governorate in the northeast of Syria. Administratively part of the al-Yaarubiyah nahiyah of al-Malikiyah District, the town is located 900 km northeast of the capital Da ...

in the

al-Hasakah Governorate Al-Hasakah Governorate ( ar, محافظة الحسكة, Muḥāfaẓat al-Ḥasakah, ku, Parêzgeha Hesekê}, syc, ܗܘܦܪܟܝܐ ܕܚܣܟܗ, Huparkiyo d'Ḥasake, also known as syc, ܓܙܪܬܐ, Gozarto) is one of the fourteen governorates (pro ...

of northeast Syria. Before 2010, it was used as an agricultural transport airport and was subsequently abandoned until the end of 2015.

History

In November and December 2015, the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

reportedly began reconstruction work of the airstrip with the support of the

People's Protection Units The People's Defense Units (YPG), (YPG) ; ar, وحدات حماية الشعب, Waḥdāt Ḥimāyat aš-Šaʽb) also called People's Protection Units, is a mainly- Kurdish militia in Syria and the primary component of the Syrian Democra ...

in the area, landing two helicopters in the field. The runway was reportedly planned to be expanded to wide to be prepared for use by military aircraft. The airport is planned to be used by the

Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF–OIR) is a multinational military formation established by the U.S.-led international coalition against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) with the stated aim to "d ...

to provide air support for the Syrian Democratic Forces. The US had already airlifted of supplies to the SDF as of 12 October 2015, two days after its establishment. In January 2016, the SDF confirmed the handover of control of the air base from the YPG to the USAF. Based on satellite imagery, the runway was under construction to be expanded to from the original length. The US subsequently denied the reports that the USAF has taken control of the airport. In February, the SDF announced that the airbase will only be used as a military logistics transportation base using

Lockheed C-130 Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally desig ...

and helicopters, with the possibility of being a combat base in the future. In late September, the Local Coordination Committees of Syria reported that a US helicopter transported opposition politician

Ahmad Jarba Ahmad Jarba ( ar, أحمد عوينان العاصي الجربا), born in the city of Qamishli in 1969, is a Syrian opposition member and former political prisoner. He is a public opponent of Bashar al-Assad and between 6 July 2013 and 11 July 2 ...

and actor

Jamal Suliman Jamal Suliman ( ar, جمال سليمان) is a Syrian producer, director and actor of television, film, and stage. Suliman was born in 1959 in the Syrian capital of Damascus, then part of the United Arab Republic. Suliman studied at the acti ...

from

Iraqi Kurdistan Iraqi Kurdistan or Southern Kurdistan ( ku, باشووری کوردستان, Başûrê Kurdistanê) refers to the Kurdish-populated part of northern Iraq. It is considered one of the four parts of "Kurdistan" in Western Asia, which also inc ...

to the airport.

References

American involvement in the Syrian civil war Airports in Syria Al-Hasakah Governorate {{Syria-airport-stub