Ar Rutba
Encyclopedia
Ar Rutbah is an Iraq
i town in western Al Anbar province. The population is approximately 55,000. It occupies a strategic location on the Amman
-Baghdad
road, and the Mosul
-Haifa
pipeline
. Considered a "wet spot", it receives 114.3 mm (4.5 inches) of rain annually, and is located on a high plateau.
administration, Rutbah Wells, as it was then known, was a stopover for Imperial Airways
on flights from Britain
to India
and the Gulf Region
. It was also a water stop
on the overland drive from Baghdad to Damascus
; travelers who stopped lodged in a fort. 16kilometers South off Rutbah (Rutbah Wells, in 1934), the famous aircraft, a winner off the MacRobertson Air Race
the "Uiver" a DC-2 type from the KLM, now knows as Air France-KLM
, crashed here on its first flight after the MacRobertson Air Race in December 1934 on its way to the Dutch East Indies
(now Indonesia
). There were six people dead, including Dominique Willem Berretty, a Dutch
media magnate.
and Iraq. During the Persian Gulf War
of 1991 it was reportedly a Scud
launching location.
, the base was occupied by the Army's 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment and was known as FOB Buzz. An Army Captain was charged and court-martialed for staging mock executions of Iraqi prisoners.
On January 26, 2005, a Marine CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter
crashed outside of town, killing 30 Marines and one Navy
corpsman.
This was the single deadliest day for American forces in the Iraq conflict. The cause of the crash was a severe wind storm that had come upon them expectantly.
By March 2006, the city was being guarded by elements of the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion
(LAR) and an Iraqi rifle company from the 3d Brigade, 7th Infantry Division, Iraqi Army. U.S. and Iraqi forces had built a 7 feet (2.1 m)-high and 20 feet (6.1 m)-wide berm in order to restrict access into the city from all but 3 guarded vehicle checkpoints. This was done to restrict weapons and explosives smuggling into the city and force insurgent elements to hide weapons caches in the open desert, as well as reduce the number of roadside bombs inside the populated areas.
In July 2006, increased violence and lawlessness in Baghdad, forced the transfer of the 4-14 Cavalry Squadron, U.S. Army, from the cities of Rawah and Anah in the northern Anbar province to Baghdad in order to augment security there. The gap in forces was replaced, initially, with personnel and resources from 3rd LAR in Rutbah.
In September 2006, Rutbah was once again handed over to 2nd LAR by 3rd LAR.
In early 2007, the Rutbah government progressed in the transition to providing its own security. The town's efforts included recruiting approximately 200 men to send to an Iraqi Police training academy to increase counterinsurgency practices.
In June 2009 the Marines transferred control of Camp Korean Village over to, C Co. 1-186 INF which is an Oregon ARMY National Guard unit. The Camp was handed over to the Iraqi Army on May 1, 2010.
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i town in western Al Anbar province. The population is approximately 55,000. It occupies a strategic location on the Amman
Amman
Amman is the capital of Jordan. It is the country's political, cultural and commercial centre and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The Greater Amman area has a population of 2,842,629 as of 2010. The population of Amman is expected to jump from 2.8 million to almost...
-Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
road, and the Mosul
Mosul
Mosul , is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some northwest of Baghdad. The original city stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial...
-Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
pipeline
Pipeline transport
Pipeline transport is the transportation of goods through a pipe. Most commonly, liquids and gases are sent, but pneumatic tubes that transport solid capsules using compressed air are also used....
. Considered a "wet spot", it receives 114.3 mm (4.5 inches) of rain annually, and is located on a high plateau.
History
During BritishBritish Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
administration, Rutbah Wells, as it was then known, was a stopover for Imperial Airways
Imperial Airways
Imperial Airways was the early British commercial long range air transport company, operating from 1924 to 1939 and serving parts of Europe but especially the Empire routes to South Africa, India and the Far East...
on flights from Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and the Gulf Region
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
. It was also a water stop
Water stop
A water stop or water station on a railroad is a place where trains stop to replenish water. The stopping of the train itself is also referred to as "water stop". The term originates from the times of steam engines, when large amounts of water were essential...
on the overland drive from Baghdad to Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
; travelers who stopped lodged in a fort. 16kilometers South off Rutbah (Rutbah Wells, in 1934), the famous aircraft, a winner off the MacRobertson Air Race
MacRobertson Air Race
The MacRobertson Trophy Air Race took place October, 1934 as part of the Melbourne Centenary celebrations. The idea of the race was devised by the Lord Mayor of Melbourne, and a prize fund of $75,000 was put up by Sir Macpherson Robertson, a wealthy Australian confectionery manufacturer, on the...
the "Uiver" a DC-2 type from the KLM, now knows as Air France-KLM
Air France-KLM
Air France-KLM is a European airline holding company incorporated under French law with its headquarters at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport in Tremblay-en-France, Paris...
, crashed here on its first flight after the MacRobertson Air Race in December 1934 on its way to the Dutch East Indies
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
(now Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
). There were six people dead, including Dominique Willem Berretty, a Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
media magnate.
Persian Gulf War
Due to Rutbah's strategic location, the town has played a role in later conflicts between the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Iraq. During the Persian Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
of 1991 it was reportedly a Scud
Scud
Scud is a series of tactical ballistic missiles developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War, and exported widely to other countries. The term comes from the NATO reporting name SS-1 Scud which was attached to the missile by Western intelligence agencies...
launching location.
Operation Iraqi Freedom
After the 2003 Invasion of Iraq2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
, the base was occupied by the Army's 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment and was known as FOB Buzz. An Army Captain was charged and court-martialed for staging mock executions of Iraqi prisoners.
Arrival of U.S. Marines
In 2004, Marines from Regimental Combat Team 7 relieved the Army soldiers and took control of the city, resolving to engage the populace more proactively. By July 2004, Camp Korean Village, a Marine logistical support base, was established nearby. The base currently serves as a regional air field, convoy rest stop, shock trauma hospital and headquarters of the local Marine garrison. The base is supposedly located on the site of a village formerly used to house Korean construction workers working on the Amman - Baghdad highway.) This fact has not been proven: the base was named Korean Village by Americans, however not even the top commanders in Iraq know the origins of the name.On January 26, 2005, a Marine CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
crashed outside of town, killing 30 Marines and one Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
corpsman.
This was the single deadliest day for American forces in the Iraq conflict. The cause of the crash was a severe wind storm that had come upon them expectantly.
By March 2006, the city was being guarded by elements of the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion
2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion
2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion is a mechanized infantry battalion of the United States Marine Corps. Their primary weapon system is the LAV-25 and they fall under the command of the 2nd Marine Division and II Marine Expeditionary Force. The unit is based out of the Marine Corps Base...
(LAR) and an Iraqi rifle company from the 3d Brigade, 7th Infantry Division, Iraqi Army. U.S. and Iraqi forces had built a 7 feet (2.1 m)-high and 20 feet (6.1 m)-wide berm in order to restrict access into the city from all but 3 guarded vehicle checkpoints. This was done to restrict weapons and explosives smuggling into the city and force insurgent elements to hide weapons caches in the open desert, as well as reduce the number of roadside bombs inside the populated areas.
In July 2006, increased violence and lawlessness in Baghdad, forced the transfer of the 4-14 Cavalry Squadron, U.S. Army, from the cities of Rawah and Anah in the northern Anbar province to Baghdad in order to augment security there. The gap in forces was replaced, initially, with personnel and resources from 3rd LAR in Rutbah.
In September 2006, Rutbah was once again handed over to 2nd LAR by 3rd LAR.
In early 2007, the Rutbah government progressed in the transition to providing its own security. The town's efforts included recruiting approximately 200 men to send to an Iraqi Police training academy to increase counterinsurgency practices.
In June 2009 the Marines transferred control of Camp Korean Village over to, C Co. 1-186 INF which is an Oregon ARMY National Guard unit. The Camp was handed over to the Iraqi Army on May 1, 2010.
