Nasiriyah Airport is a public and military airport located 23 km (14 mi) southwest of
Nasiriyah
Nasiriyah ( ar, ٱلنَّاصِرِيَّة; United States Board on Geographic Names, BGN: ''An Nāşirīyah''; also spelled ''Nassiriya'' or ''Nasiriya'') is a city in Iraq. It is on the lower Euphrates River, Euphrates, about south-southeas ...
,
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
.
It is also known as Tallil Air Base until December 2011 and Imam Ali Air Base until March 2017, when the base was used by
United States Armed Forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...
. It is generally known as Camp Adder by the
U.S. Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...
; the name Ali Air Base is used chiefly by the
U.S. Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air 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 of the United States Army Signal ...
; the installation, however, is still commonly referred to as "Tallil".
![Ancient ziggurat at Ali Air Base Iraq 2005](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/93/Ancient_ziggurat_at_Ali_Air_Base_Iraq_2005.jpg)
The base occupies 30 sq km (11.6 sq mi) and is protected by 22 km (13.7 mi) of security perimeter. The ancient
Babylonia
Babylonia (; Akkadian: , ''māt Akkadī'') was an ancient Akkadian-speaking state and cultural area based in the city of Babylon in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq and parts of Syria). It emerged as an Amorite-ruled state c. ...
n city of
Ur, one of the places identified as
Ur of the Chaldees
Ur Kasdim ( he, ''ʾūr Kaśdīm''), commonly translated as Ur of the Chaldeans, is a city mentioned in the Hebrew Bible as the birthplace of the Israelite and Ishmaelite patriarch Abraham. In 1862, Henry Rawlinson identified Ur Kaśdim with ...
, the birthplace of
Abraham
Abraham, ; ar, , , name=, group= (originally Abram) is the common Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the special relationship between the Jew ...
, is located within the security perimeter of Ali Base, and its ancient
ziggurat
A ziggurat (; Cuneiform: 𒅆𒂍𒉪, Akkadian: ', D-stem of ' 'to protrude, to build high', cognate with other Semitic languages like Hebrew ''zaqar'' (זָקַר) 'protrude') is a type of massive structure built in ancient Mesopotamia. It has ...
is visible from nearly every corner of the base.
Military use
Iraqi Air Force
Talil Air Base was an
Iraqi Air Force
The Iraqi Air Force (IQAF or IrAF) ( ar, القوات الجوية العراقية, Al Quwwat al Jawwiyah al Iraqiyyah}) is the aerial warfare service branch of the Iraqi Armed Forces. It is responsible for the defense of Iraqi airspace as well ...
base. The airbase was bombed in
Operation Kaman 99
Operation Alborz ( fa, عملیات البرز), more commonly known by the code-name Operation Kaman 99 (), was an operation launched by the Iranian Air Force in retaliation to Iraqi surprise aerial attacks on Iran the day before which marked t ...
on the second day of the
Iran–Iraq War
The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. It began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for almost eight years, until the acceptance of United Nations Security Council ...
, just after the Iraqi invasion of Iran.
The air base served as the home of a unit of
Soviet-built MiG fighter
Russian Aircraft Corporation "MiG" (russian: Российская самолётостроительная корпорация „МиГ“, Rossiyskaya samolyotostroitel'naya korporatsiya "MiG"), commonly known as Mikoyan and MiG, was a Russi ...
aircraft as well as several
Mi-24D (Hind-D) helicopter gunship
A gunship is a military aircraft armed with heavy aircraft guns, primarily intended for attacking ground targets either as airstrike or as close air support.
In modern usage the term "gunship" refers to fixed-wing aircraft having laterally-mo ...
s. The aircraft could be serviced and stored in fortified concrete aircraft
hangar
A hangar is a building or structure designed to hold aircraft or spacecraft. Hangars are built of metal, wood, or concrete. The word ''hangar'' comes from Middle French ''hanghart'' ("enclosure near a house"), of Germanic origin, from Frankish ...
s located at either end of the main runway. These aircraft shelters, sometimes referred to as "trapezoids" or "Yugos", were built by Yugoslavian contractors sometime prior to 1985, and according to the
Gulf War Air Power Survey
The Gulf War Air Power Survey is a report commissioned by the United States Air Force in 1993 to document and analyze its performance during the 1991 Gulf War. It consists of five sections each averaging over 700 pages, and a 276-page summary rep ...
, there were a total of 36 aircraft shelters in 1991.
It is possible that
Sukhoi Su-20s may have been located at the base at some point during this period.
Gulf War
During the 1991 Gulf War, the base and its fortified aircraft shelters were heavily damaged by
Coalition
A coalition is a group formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political or economical spaces.
Formation
According to ''A Gui ...
bombing missions. After the
ground campaign began, elements of the U.S. Army
24th Infantry Division (Mechanized)
The 24th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the United States Army that was inactivated in October 1996. Formed during World War II from the disbanding Hawaiian Division, the division saw action throughout the Pacific theater, firs ...
took the base after fierce opposition from an entrenched force of the Iraqi
37th and
45th Infantry Divisions. After the initial engagement and defeat of enemy forces the 24th ID required a security force to continue to hold this piece of key terrain. The original plan was for elements of the
101st Airborne Division
The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) ("Screaming Eagles") is a light infantry division of the United States Army that specializes in air assault operations. It can plan, coordinate, and execute multiple battalion-size air assault operati ...
(Air Assault) to take up this position. However, with those elements being engaged further to the west this wasn't possible for several hours. It was later turned over to the
82nd Airborne Division
The 82nd Airborne Division is an Airborne forces, airborne infantry division (military), division of the United States Army specializing in Paratrooper, parachute assault operations into denied areasSof, Eric"82nd Airborne Division" ''Spec Ops ...
of the U.S. Army. While the initial forces had been dealt with by the 24th ID (Mech) pockets of light resistance still remained and would mount small attacks. The original plan for Tallil was that it would be used as a resupply point for coalition forces. Therefore, it was vital for the 82nd to hold this until reinforcements could be brought up to help maintain the security of this very large airfield. U.S.
Combat Engineer
A combat engineer (also called pioneer or sapper) is a type of soldier who performs military engineering tasks in support of land forces combat operations. Combat engineers perform a variety of military engineering, tunnel and mine warfare ta ...
s continued to destroy whatever serviceable aircraft and
ordnance
Ordnance may refer to:
Military and defense
*Materiel in military logistics, including weapons, ammunition, vehicles, and maintenance tools and equipment.
**The military branch responsible for supplying and developing these items, e.g., the Unit ...
was missed during the earlier air campaign.
Iraq War 2003-11
![A10sTallilAirBase](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/A10sTallilAirBase.jpg)
After the start of the
Iraq War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish)
, partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
in 2003, Talil, now known as Ali Air Base, was used by the U.S. Air Force
332d Air Expeditionary Wing
The 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing (332 AEW) is a Provisional Wing of Air Combat Command, currently active. It was last inactivated on 8 May 2012, and most recently reactivated on 19 May 2015.
The Wing's 332nd Expeditionary Operations Group (33 ...
before they moved to
Balad Air Base
Balad Air Base ( ar, قاعدة بلد الجوية) , is an Iraqi Air Force base located near Balad in the Sunni Triangle north of Baghdad, Iraq.
Built in the early 1980s, it was originally named Al-Bakr Air Base. In 2003 the base was captured ...
in January 2004. The 726th Maintenance Battalion (Massachusetts) arrived in May 2003 to operate as the Mayor cell for LSA (
Logistics Support Area In the United States Army, a Logistics Support Area (LSA) is a military term which refers to military facilities which act as depot, barracks, and transportation hubs, providing supplies and personnel to facilities closer to or within arenas of arm ...
) Adder. The
407th Air Expeditionary Group
The 407th Air Expeditionary Group (407 AEG) is a provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to the United States Air Forces Central Command, 332d Air Expeditionary Wing. It was stationed at Ali Air Base, Iraq, until the closure of the bas ...
, operating
C-130 Hercules
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 ...
cargo airplanes, then utilized the base and trained more than 100 Iraqi Airmen on how to maintain and fly the C-130 type until February 2006. These trainees were then designated the Iraqi Air Force 23rd Squadron and relocated to
Kirkuk Air Base
The Kirkuk International Airport is an airport located Kirkuk, Iraq. The airport officially opened in 20th October, 2022 for civil visitors.
Since 2003 the airport was used by the U.S. Air Force as a military airport. It was returned to the Iraq ...
.
Units from various coalition groups have used designated sections of Ali Air Base during the course of the occupation. Camp Terendak was used by
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
n troops until the Australian Battlegroup withdrawal on June 1, 2008.
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
n troops used Camp Dracula until the Romanian Army withdrew in early June 2009. Camp Dracula was then used as the "Regional Center of Excellence for Civil Capacity".
Ali Air Base was thereafter used primarily by U.S. forces, including elements of the
U.S. Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...
,
Air Force
An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...
, the
Navy
A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...
, and the
Marine Corps
Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...
. Camp Adder, used by the Army, was also the home to three
Provincial Reconstruction Teams
A Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) was a unit introduced by the United States government, consisting of military officers, diplomats, and reconstruction subject matter experts, working to support reconstruction efforts in unstable states. PRT ...
for the provinces of
Dhi Qar
Dhi Qar Governorate ( ar, ذي قار, translit=Thi Qār, ) is a governorate in southern Iraq. The provincial capital is Nasiriyah. Prior to 1976 the governorate was known as Muntafiq Governorate. Thi Qar was the heartland of the ancient Iraqi civ ...
,
Muthanna, and
Maysan
, image_map = Maysan in Iraq.svg
, mapsize = 200px
, settlement_type = Governorate
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name =
, subdivision_t ...
. The Dhi Qar team was led by
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
personnel, while the Muthanna and Maysan teams were headed by
U.S. State Department officers. The
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
, colors =
, anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day)
, battles =
, battles_label = Wars
, website =
, commander1 = ...
Gulf Region District managed these and most other construction projects, from start to finish, 34 Field Squadron (Air Support),
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...
, built accommodation and repaired the runways to make them operational for use by the U.S. Air Force during the Iraq War.
![An airman fits a new pair of shoes on a young Bedouin girl in a village near Tallil Air Base](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/An_airman_fits_a_new_pair_of_shoes_on_a_young_Bedouin_girl_in_a_village_near_Tallil_Air_Base.jpg)
The base was nearly vacated of all U.S. Forces on 16 December 2011. The
20th Engineer Brigade
The 20th Engineer Brigade is a combat engineer brigade assigned to the XVIII Airborne Corps of the United States Army stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Although the brigade was identified as an airborne unit, not all of its subordinate un ...
, serving as the COB Adder Mayor Cell and Theatre Engineer Brigade, led and managed the transition of the final US base in Iraq. The closure of this base and the later movement of the remaining US Forces to Kuwait were the final actions in
Operation New Dawn, the successor mission to Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Amenities
While the U.S. military used the base during the Iraq War (2003–2011), there were various amenities for the troops stationed there, such as a large
post exchange
An exchange is a type of retail store found on United States military installations worldwide. Originally akin to trading posts, they now resemble contemporary department stores or strip malls. Exact terminology varies by armed service; some examp ...
and restaurants such as
Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut is an American multinational restaurant chain and international franchise founded in 1958 in Wichita, Kansas by Dan and Frank Carney. They serve their signature pan pizza and other dishes including pasta, breadsticks and dessert at d ...
,
Burger King
Burger King (BK) is an American-based multinational chain store, chain of hamburger fast food restaurants. Headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida, the company was founded in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida–based res ...
,
Taco Bell
Taco Bell is an American-based chain of fast food restaurants founded in 1962 by Glen Bell (1923–2010) in Downey, California. Taco Bell is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. The restaurants serve a variety of Mexican-inspired foods, includi ...
, Ciano's and a Green Beans coffee shop, but these were closed as of October 7, 2011. Three dining facilities operated by
KBR provided hot food for the troops, U.S. government civilians and contractors working on the base; they also closed and MRE's were the only option for food. The base also boasted a large chapel and a
Morale, Welfare and Recreation
Morale, Welfare and Recreation, abbreviated MWR, is a network of support and leisure services designed for use by U.S. servicemembers (active, Reserve, and Guard), their families, military retirees, veterans with 100 percent service-connected disab ...
(MWR) facility. A private contractor, SniperHill, provided commercial internet service but the highest speed available was 256k at a cost of $110 per month.
Most Army personnel living on the installation lived in
containerized housing unit
A containerized housing unit, usually abbreviated as CHU (and sometimes called containerized living unit or CLU) is an ISO shipping container pre-fabricated into a living quarters. Such containers can be transported by container ships, railroad ...
s, affectionately known as CHU's, as opposed to conventional tent quarters. There were, however, at least several Army units, as well as all
USAF
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air 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 of the United States Army Sign ...
personnel, that occupied tents on the base, as well as the buildings that were not destroyed after The Gulf War.
Camp Whitehorse
Camp Whitehorse was a small prison, run by the
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
, near Tallil Airbase outside of
Nasiriyah
Nasiriyah ( ar, ٱلنَّاصِرِيَّة; United States Board on Geographic Names, BGN: ''An Nāşirīyah''; also spelled ''Nassiriya'' or ''Nasiriya'') is a city in Iraq. It is on the lower Euphrates River, Euphrates, about south-southeas ...
.
Abuse incidents that have occurred at Camp Whitehorse include:
Operation Night Harvest
Operation Night Harvest was the uncovering of abandoned aircraft at Tallil AB. United States forces found a large junkyard of derelict Iraqi aircraft.
Airplane Graveyard
/ref>
Civilian use
The airfield is served by two main runways measuring 12,000 and 9,700 feet. A modern air traffic control tower
Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled airsp ...
was completed in March 2010 to further increase the airfield's capabilities. An instrument landing system
In aviation, the instrument landing system (ILS) is a precision radio navigation system that provides short-range guidance to aircraft to allow them to approach a runway at night or in bad weather. In its original form, it allows an aircraft to ...
was installed to provide CAT 1 service to the 30R approach and was planned to be operational by the end of April 2010. The airfield lighting system was also upgraded as part of the airfield modernization program.
Airlines and destinations
See also
*Khamisiyah Khamisiyah ( ar, الخميسية ') is an area in southern Iraq located approximately 350 km (217 mi) south-east of Baghdad, 200 km (124 mi) north-west of Kuwait City and 270 km (168 mi) north of Al Qaysumah. Khamisiyah is under th ...
*List of United States Military installations in Iraq
The United States Department of Defense has a large number of temporary military bases in Iraq, most a type of forward operating base (FOB).
Depending on their size or utility, the installations were called: Camp, Forward Operating Base (FOB), C ...
References
#
Tallil Airbase
''Global Security
GlobalSecurity.org is an American nonpartisan, independent, nonprofit organization that serves as a think tank, and research and consultancy group. Focus
The site is focused on national and international security issues; military analysis, syste ...
''
#
Marine Guilty Of Prison Abuse
''CBS News
CBS News is the news division of the American television and radio service CBS. CBS News television programs include the ''CBS Evening News'', ''CBS Mornings'', news magazine programs '' CBS News Sunday Morning'', '' 60 Minutes'', and '' 48 H ...
'', September 2, 2004
#
Intelligence Agents Accused in Abuse: U.S. Guards Accuse Military Intelligence Operatives of Encouraging Abuse in 4 Iraq Prisons
mirrored ''Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
'', May 29, 2004
External links
Ali Times - 407th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs
GlobalSecurity.org
{{authority control
Dhi Qar Governorate
Airports in Iraq
Installations of the United States Air Force in Iraq
Military installations closed in 2011
Iraqi Air Force bases