Muthenna Airbase
Encyclopedia
Muthanna Airbase was an Iraqi military facility west of the center of Baghdad
. It consisted of one 3,000 m asphalt/concrete runway sited in a developed industrial/residential area. It was the home base for Iraqi Air Force
transport squadrons and navigation school.
During the 1991 Gulf War, three of Baghdad's 42 targets—Iraqi Air Force headquarters, Muthanna airfield, and Ba'ath party headquarters—absorbed 20 percent of the effort. The Ba'ath party headquarters were hit with 28 bombs, Iraqi air force headquarters 17, and Muthenna airfield with 25. The 13-story Iraqi Air Force headquarters building, on the southeast edge of Muthanna airfield, was shown in the first publicly unveiled air strike videotape.
During the Second Gulf War Coalition forces again struck Iraqi Air Force headquarters buildings in central Baghdad, located west of the Tigris River, near the Baghdad/Muthanna airfield. Coalition aircraft struck the buildings with JDAMs. The strike degraded Iraqi Air Force capabilities to command and control Iraqi air assets.
The damage at Muthanna was so extensive that it was subsequently abandoned as a functioning aviation facility.
on 11 February 2004, when up to 47 people died. A sedan carrying explosives drove to the front of the recruiting station where numerous Iraqis were waiting in line to enlist in the Iraqi Army. US soldiers from Task Force 1st Armored Division's 4th Battalion, 27th Field Artillery Regiment provided aid to the victims and secured the blast site. The bomb was four to five hundred pounds and a mixture of C4 explosive and artillery
shells. The vehicle carrying the bomb was completely destroyed. Rush hour traffic and a large crowd of people were on the street when the blast occurred, and a group of men angrily shouted at American soldiers wanting to know how this could have happened.
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...
. It consisted of one 3,000 m asphalt/concrete runway sited in a developed industrial/residential area. It was the home base for Iraqi Air Force
Iraqi Air Force
The Iraqi Air Force or IQAF is the military branch in Iraq responsible for the policing of international borders, surveillance of national assets and aerial operations...
transport squadrons and navigation school.
During the 1991 Gulf War, three of Baghdad's 42 targets—Iraqi Air Force headquarters, Muthanna airfield, and Ba'ath party headquarters—absorbed 20 percent of the effort. The Ba'ath party headquarters were hit with 28 bombs, Iraqi air force headquarters 17, and Muthenna airfield with 25. The 13-story Iraqi Air Force headquarters building, on the southeast edge of Muthanna airfield, was shown in the first publicly unveiled air strike videotape.
During the Second Gulf War Coalition forces again struck Iraqi Air Force headquarters buildings in central Baghdad, located west of the Tigris River, near the Baghdad/Muthanna airfield. Coalition aircraft struck the buildings with JDAMs. The strike degraded Iraqi Air Force capabilities to command and control Iraqi air assets.
The damage at Muthanna was so extensive that it was subsequently abandoned as a functioning aviation facility.
Iraqi Army Recruiting Station
The heavily fortified Iraqi Army Recruiting Station at Muthenna airport was hit by a car bombCar bomb
A car bomb, or truck bomb also known as a Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device , is an improvised explosive device placed in a car or other vehicle and then detonated. It is commonly used as a weapon of assassination, terrorism, or guerrilla warfare, to kill the occupants of the vehicle,...
on 11 February 2004, when up to 47 people died. A sedan carrying explosives drove to the front of the recruiting station where numerous Iraqis were waiting in line to enlist in the Iraqi Army. US soldiers from Task Force 1st Armored Division's 4th Battalion, 27th Field Artillery Regiment provided aid to the victims and secured the blast site. The bomb was four to five hundred pounds and a mixture of C4 explosive and artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
shells. The vehicle carrying the bomb was completely destroyed. Rush hour traffic and a large crowd of people were on the street when the blast occurred, and a group of men angrily shouted at American soldiers wanting to know how this could have happened.