General Information About Al Hurriya Air Base

Al Hurriya Air Base, near Kirkuk in Iraq, has been used by the United States Air Force since 2003. Since 2012, however, it has also been converted for civilian use by Iraq's Transportation Ministry.

At this base were residents from the 506th Air Expeditionary Group and 52d Expeditionary Flying Training Squadron who maintained security, conducted safe flying operations, provided base support agencies with additional resources, supported Operation Iraqi Freedom contingency plans for Central Air Force/U.S. Central Command contingency plans as well as active participation in Operation Iraqi Freedom itself.

BTT advisors have worked to enhance Al Hurriya's operational readiness and life support capabilities by offering laptop training to the IqAF communications section. Utilizing laptops to program land mobile radios independently without assistance from BTT advisors, this section was able to program over 50 radios on its own!

Al Hurriya served as a key airbase for Mirage F-1 fighter aircraft during the Iran-Iraq War, before it was bombed during Operation Sultan 10 in 1980 in its early phases.

Turkish-SDF clashes: Following an attack in Istanbul that Turkish leaders blamed on Kurdish groups, Turkey and its militia groups have intensified attacks against SDF positions in recent weeks. Turkish-backed forces have launched artillery strikes on Ahras, al-Jurn, al-Hurriya, al-Rabi'at and Umm Harmala cities respectively; additionally Tal al-Ward, Mara'naz Ain Daqna and Sheikh Ghisi towns have also come under attack by Turkish-backed forces.

Regime forces launched an especially deadly assault when they mistakenly fired internationally banned cluster munitions onto three displacement camps: Al-Watan, Wadi Haj Khaled and Baiba in Beirut. At least nine civilians were killed and at least 70 others wounded as a result of this act of war, in addition to pro-regime fighters killed and wounded during this assault.