Ali Al Salem Air Base
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Ali Al Salem Air Base قاعدة علي السالم الجوية |
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Entrance to the US Air Force side
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| Summary | |||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Military | ||||||||||||||
| Owner | Government of Kuwait | ||||||||||||||
| Operator |
Kuwait Air Force United States Air Force |
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| Location | Kuwait | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 472 ft / 144 m | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 29°20′48″N 47°31′14″E / 29.34667°N 47.52056°ECoordinates: 29°20′48″N 47°31′14″E / 29.34667°N 47.52056°E | ||||||||||||||
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 OKAS
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Ali Al Salem Air Base (ICAO: OKAS) is a military airbase situated in Kuwait, approximately 23 miles from the Iraqi border. The airfield is owned by the Government of Kuwait, and during Operation Southern Watch and Operation Telic / Operation Iraqi Freedom hosted Royal Air Force (RAF), United States Air Force (USAF) and United States Marine Corps (USMC) personnel and aircraft. Since those operations, the base has been returned to the control of the Kuwaiti Government, with the USAF continuing to maintain a presence alongside their Kuwait Air Force counterparts. The principal USAF unit on base is the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing (386 AEW).
In 1990, the base was the last to be overrun during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. On August 3, Ali Al Salem was the only air base not occupied by Iraq. A small number of Kuwaiti regulars, staff officers, and the base general stayed to fight and organize resupply missions from Saudi Arabia. By the end of the day, Ali Al Salem had been overrun. Upon discovery by the Iraqi military, the Kuwaiti General was hanged from the base flagpole by Iraqi troops. New flagpoles have since been installed, however as of December 2012, the original pole still stands. The remaining Kuwaiti military personnel were lined up outside the old Kuwaiti officers' club and shot. While no longer used, the building and bullet holes remain.
The Kuwait Air Force Flight Training School is located at Ali Al Salem Air Base and it is the home base of following squadrons:
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Wikipedia