Operation Provide Comfort
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Operation Provide Comfort/Provide Comfort II | |||||||
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Part of the Iraqi no-fly zones conflict | |||||||
Commemorative medallion issued to some participating US soldiers | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
United States Peshmerga United Kingdom Germany France Australia Netherlands Turkey Italy Spain Portugal |
Iraq Support: Belarus[1][2] | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
John Shalikashvili | Saddam Hussein | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
2 UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters downed by friendly fire with 26 killed |
90 killed, 85 wounded Many air defense systems destroyed 1 MiG-23 Flogger shot down 1–2 Su-22 Fitters shot down[3] |
Operation Provide Comfort and Provide Comfort II were military operations initiated by the United States and other Coalition nations of the Persian Gulf War, starting in April 1991, to defend Kurdish refugees fleeing their homes in northern Iraq in the aftermath of the Gulf War, and to deliver humanitarian aid to them. The no-fly zone instituted to help bring this about would become one of the main factors allowing the development of the autonomous Kurdistan Region.
Summary
"Operation Haven" (the UK's name for the operation) was a UK-headed initiative, made at a time when the US was fundamentally uninterested in any further taking of action in the Persian Gulf region. The UK prime minister's lobbying of other European states resulted in NATO's support, leveraging the necessary US air support. Then as
US participation and events
The
On 3 March, General
On 5 April, the
Units of the 18th Military Police Brigade, commanded by Colonel Lucious Delk, and a forward Headquarters Command Cell led by Captain Alan Mahan, and Sergeant Major Ed Deane, with units of the 709th Military Police Battalion, the 284th Military Police Company, the 527th Military Police Company and 3rd Platoon of the 202d Military Police Company, provided security of the headquarters, Kurdish refugee camps, and convoy security. The brigade was the last unit to leave the area at the conclusion of operations. Several members of the 202d Military Police Company received the Soldier's Medal after calling in and assisting in the medical evacuation of a wounded Iraqi citizen from a minefield near the river not far from the MP headquarters camp.
While Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm were run by the
Also deployed to Zakho from their main-body deployment site in Rota, Spain, was Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 133, homeported in Gulfport, Mississippi, commanded by Commander Donald Hutchins. It provided humanitarian aid, water wells, and minor repairs to Sirsink air field. Like its Air Force counterparts, it was the first Naval Mobile Construction Battalion to enter Iraq prior to Operation Iraqi Freedom. Carrier Strike Group 6 commenced its 21st and final operational deployment on 30 May 1991. During this period it provided air power presence and airborne intelligence support (the airwing flew over 900 sorties over Iraq) to the Combined Joint Task Forces of Operation Provide Comfort and Operation Northern Watch enforcing the northern "no-fly zone" in Iraq. It completed this deployment on 23 December 1991.
Initially for the first 48 hours, Operation Provide Comfort was commanded by the local 628th Military Airlift Support Squadron Major Richard Muri (acting commander), who after being alerted at 2 AM by the 39th TACG Command Post, with orders from President Bush to drop supplies to the Kurds within 24 hours. Major Muri immediately put two aircrews on Alpha alert, food was procured from the local commissary with squadron funds (later reimbursed), and CDS bundles were ordered from USAFE. That afternoon, 16 CDS bundles with food supplies were air dropped by C-130s in an area with Kurdish refugees. Two days later, Lieutenant General John Shalikashvili took command and said to Major Muri at a command post conference meeting, "Major, you have done good, take care of your squadron".
Lieutenant General John Shalikashvili commanded the overall operation and later became Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Task Force Bravo, the in-country multi-national element of the operation was commanded by Major General Jay Garner, US Army, who was later appointed a Special Representative to Iraq under the George W. Bush administration.
The first conventional units to cross into Iraq and enter Zakho were US marines on April 20, 1991, when two companies of infantry were airlifted into Zakho, where around 300 regular Iraqi Army infantry and armored vehicles from the 66th Special Assault Brigade were still present posing as police. The Marines had been preceded by 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (who were inserted into Iraq on 13 April 1991). The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit was commanded by Colonel James L. Jones. The MEU consisted of the 24th MEU command element, Battalion Landing team 2/8 (BLT 2/8) under Lt. Colonel Tony Corwin, Composite Helicopter Squadron 264 (HMM-264) Led by Lt. Colonel Joseph Byrtus Jr. and MEU service support group 24 (MSSG-24) led by Lieutenant Colonel Richard Kohl, counting about 2,000 marines.[6] The Marine Expeditionary Unit had been under the command of Commodore Turner, commander, Mediterranean Amphibious Ready Group 1–91, aboard his flagship USS Guadalcanal, but were transferred to Combine Task Force (CFT) Provide Comfort on 14 April and was 3 months into a 6-month routine Mediterranean deployment. The 24th MEU would initially serve as the command to a regiment sized force consisting of all MEU elements, 697 Royal Marines from 45 Commando (22 April), commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Thompson and 400 marines from the Dutch 1st Amphibious Combat Group (1st ACG) commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Cees Van Egmond (arrived 23 April) for purposes of containing Zakho until the Iraqi forces would withdraw from the area. On 29 April, 3rd Commando Brigade took back command of 45 Commando, 29th Commando Regiment, Royal Artillery and the 1st ACG for expanded operations to the east. On 4 May, BLT 2/8 commenced operations to the south of Zakho along the route to Dohuk. The MEU then began to move back to Silopi, beginning with the BLT on June 15. 24th MEU left northern Iraq on July 15 and embarked on 19 July for the United States, ending its 6-month deployment.[7]
The 24th MEU (SOC) along with Joint Task Force Bravo(Task Force Alpha was responsible for the Kurd camps in the mountains) grew in size in the days following April 20. The MEU was joined by 4th Brigade (Aviation), 3rd Infantry Division, 18th Engineer Brigade, Naval Mobil Construction Battalion 133, 18th Military Police Brigade, 418th Civil Affairs Battalion USAR, 432nd Civil Affairs Battalion USAR, and 431st Civil Affairs Battalion USAR, Canadian 4th Field Ambulance, 3d Battalion, 325th Infantry (Airborne)(reinforced)(arriving on 27 April), 40 Commando, 29 Commando Regiment, Royal Artillery, the French 8th Marine Parachute Infantry (Cougar Force), a Spanish expeditionary force formed from the 1st Airborne Brigade, "Roger De Flor" and the Italian Folgore Parachute Brigade. All together military forces from 10 countries participated deploying 20,000 military personnel. The Kurds were housed in Camp Jahawk and Camp Badger. The mayor of Jayhawk was MAJ Carl Fisher and the mayor of Badger was MAJ John Elliott.
The US contributed to the operation with the United Kingdom who providing the initiative and significant ground and air forces with
In March 1991 at a refugee camp in Yeşilova Turkish soldiers, instead of cooperating with the Corps of Royal Marines in relief distribution, were charged with stealing blankets, bed linen, flour and food, including sixty boxes of water, intended for the refugees, forcing the Marines to intervene.[12]
Operation Provide Comfort II
Operation Provide Comfort II began on 24 July 1991, the same day Provide Comfort ended. This operation was primarily military in nature, and its mission was to prevent Iraqi aggression against the Kurds.
Partly as a result of Western commitment to the Kurds, Iraqi troops were withdrawn from the Kurdish regions in October 1991 and these areas assumed de facto independence.
On 5 April 1992, the
On 15 January 1993, Iraqi air defense sites opened fire on two USAF
On 14 April 1994, two USAF F-15 Eagle fighters on patrol mistakenly downed two US Army Black Hawk helicopters carrying 26 Coalition citizens, killing all aboard.
On 9 December 1995, F-4 Phantom II aircraft of the Idaho Air National Guard finished their tour of duty with Combined Task Force Provide Comfort at Incirlik Air Base. This was the last operational use of the F-4 Phantom by the USAF.[3]
In August 1996, Iraqi troops intervened in the Kurdish regions of Iraq, and the United States responded with
The operation ended officially on 31 December 1996 at the request of the Government of Turkey who wanted to improve relations with Iran and Iraq. It was followed by Operation Northern Watch, which began on 1 January 1997 with the mission of enforcing the northern no-fly zone. France declined to participate in Operation Northern Watch.
See also
References
- ^ "Американцы боятся белорусских танков. Белоруссия американских санкций не боится". Lenta. Russia. 1 March 2002.
- ^ "Поставляют ли Украина и Беларусь оружие Ираку".
- ^ a b c d e "Operation Provide Comfort II". Globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 10 October 2008.
- ^ Rudd, Gordon W. (2004). Humanitarian Intervention: Assisting the Iraqi Kurds in Operation Provide Comfort, 1991. Washington, D.C.: United States Army Center of Military History. Archived from the original on 12 September 2010.
- ^ "11th Armored Cavalry Regiment History". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016.
- ^ Humanitarian Operation in Northern Iraq 1991: With marines in Operation Provide Comfort, Lt Colonel Ronald J Brown USMCR, 1995,
- ^ Humanitarian Operation in Northern Iraq 1991: With Marines in Operation Provide Comfort, Lt Colonel Ronald J Brown USMCR, 1995
- ^ "1991: UK forces withdraw from Kurdish haven". BBC News. 14 July 1991. Retrieved 10 October 2008.
- ^ "Royal Marines – Operations, History". Eliteukforces.info. Retrieved 10 October 2008.
- ^ Rudd, Gordon W. (2004). Humanitarian Intervention – Assisting the Iraqi Kurds in Operation PROVIDE COMFORT, 1991 (PDF). United States Department of the Army. p. 108.
- ^ "Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF)". defence.gov.au. Archived from the original on 1 May 2008. Retrieved 10 October 2008.
- ISBN 1-4000-4151-1.
- ^ "F-16 Airframe Details for 86-0262". F-16.net. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
- ^ [1] Archived September 29, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
Further reading
- Rudd, Gordon W. (2004). Humanitarian Intervention: Assisting the Iraqi Kurds in Operation Provide Comfort, 1991. Washington, D.C.: United States Army Center of Military History. Archived from the original on 12 September 2010.
External links
- Humanitarian Operations in Northern Iraq: With Marines in Operation Provide Comfort
- Operation Haven Northern Iraq 1991