An Numaniyah Airfield (

ICAO The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international sch ...

, ORAN) is a former airfield and military training center in

An Numaniyah An-Nu'mānīyah () is a city on the Tigris river in Iraq, located roughly southeast of Baghdad in the Wasit Province. It is the site of one of four national training centers for the Iraqi Army. It is also the site of a base that was built by t ...

Wasit Governorate Wasit Governorate () is a governorate in eastern Iraq, south-east of Baghdad and bordering Iran. Prior to 1976 it was known as Kut Province. Major cities include the capital Al-Kut, Al-Hai and Al-Suwaira. The governorate contains the Mesopota ...

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

History

During the

Iran–Iraq War The Iran–Iraq War, also known as the First Gulf War, was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. Active hostilities began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for nearly eight years, unti ...

in the 1980s, An Numaniyah Air Base was used to attack Iran and pro-Iranian villages in Southern Iraq. In the 1990s, garrisoned troops and stationed helicopters located in the air base were claimed to participate in an environmental warfare with the

Marsh Arabs The Marsh Arabs (Arabic: عرب الأهوار ʻArab al-Ahwār "Arabs of the Marshlands"), also referred to as Ahwaris, the Maʻdān (Arabic: معدان "dweller in the plains") or Shroog ( "those from the east")—the latter two often conside ...

by draining wetlands. In early 2003, An Numaniyah Air Base served as the headquarters for the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force during the Iraq War. An Numaniyah Air Base likely ceased its operations after the 2003 Iraq War.

The An Numaniyah Project

In 2004, the

Coalition Provisional Authority The Coalition Provisional Authority (; , CPA) was a Provisional government, transitional government of Iraq established following the 2003 invasion of Iraq, invasion of the country on 19 March 2003 by Multi-National Force – Iraq, U.S.-led Co ...

budgeted $289 million to renovate the military base as a part of phase 1. In January 2004, work was announced to begin soon with the lowered budget of $65.4 million. The considered important project consisted of several renovations on existing buildings and infrastructure as it was needed for the defense of the country. On September 1, 2004, the Iraqi Flag was raised over the training base to mark its opening. An Numiniyah would serve as a training base for three battalions of Iraqi Intervention Force and also as the Iraqi army's 2nd Brigade headquarters. On June 9, 2005, the

2nd Marine Aircraft Wing The 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (2nd MAW) is the major East Coast of the United States, east coast aviation unit of the United States Marine Corps and is headquartered in Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. The Wing provides the ...

sent a Military Transition Team to help support the training of the 1st Battalion, and also help stand up to the 2nd Brigade of the 7th Iraqi Army Division.

Downfall and Closure

In June 2006, the withdrawal of the US troops left behind approximately $1 million worth in equipment. Only 2 months after the withdrawal, Iraq troops experienced food shortages and lack of supplies. This led to officers having to sell power generators in all but the officer's quarters. It was claimed that the quarters were left in disrepair so badly, many preferred to sleep outside, which was one of many factors that led to the closure of the short-lived An Numaniyah Training Base.

Layout

An Numaniyah Airfield occupies a 17 square kilometer site, and is served by a single 9,700 foot paved (12/30) runway. An Numaniyah Training Base consists of several water treatment facilities, large dining halls with a capacity of 3,000 soldiers each, and living quarters.

References

{{reflist Iraqi Air Force bases Army installations of Iraq History of Wasit Governorate