<h2 class="blog-hed2 pb-lg-4 pb-3 text-lg-center">History Mosul International Airport</h2>
<p class="blog-para">The airfield was used by the British Royal Air Force (RAF) at the end of the Mesopotamian Campaign of World War I and from 1920 RAF aircraft squadrons (and from 1922 also Royal Air Force armoured car companies) were based there while Iraq was under the League of Nations British Mandate.[4][5] RAF Mosul was handed over to the Royal Iraqi Air Force in 1936 under the terms of the 1931 Mandate but was used again by the RAF during World War II. It subsequently became a major Iraqi Air Force base, with at least a squadron of MiG-21s stationed there.</p>
<p class="blog-para">The military airfield was one of several Iraqi Air Force airfields in the mid-1970s which were rebuilt under project "Super-Base" in response to the experiences from Arab-Israeli wars in 1967 and 1973.</p>
<p class="blog-para">It was seized by Coalition forces in 2003 after the U.S.-led invasion. It became a United States Army facility that same year. The 101st Airborne Division was the first Army Unit to occupy the base in 2003. The Base was divided into two FOB's. FOB Marez to the West and FOB Diamondback to the East which incorporated the Airfield.</p>
<p class="blog-para">On 21 December 2004, fourteen US soldiers, four American employees of Halliburton, and four Iraqi soldiers were killed in a suicide attack on a dining hall at the Forward Operating Base (FOB) Marez, west of the main US military airfield at Mosul. The Pentagon reported that 72 other personnel were injured in the attack carried out by a suicide bomber wearing an explosive vest and the uniform of the Iraqi security services. The Islamic terrorist group Army of Ansar al-Sunna (partly evolved from Ansar al-Islam) declared responsibility for the attack in an Internet statement.</p>
<p class="blog-para">During 2006&ndash;2007, the U.S. government spent millions of dollars (15+) restoring the airfield lighting, generators, and built a new air traffic control tower on the East side of the Field. At this time, the Airfield was under the control of the 82nd Airborne (1/17th CAV) which fell under the 25th Aviation Brigade which was based at Camp Speicher/COB-FOB Speicher (Al Sahra Airfield.) The FARP or refueling point was located at the Southeast end of the airfield.</p>
<p class="blog-para">During the 2007 Iraq surge, the base was downsized and consolidated into one FOB even though the footprint did not change. The name FOB Marez remained and the name of FOB Diamondback went away. Many of the extra CHU's and other types of portable structures were sent to Baghdad to accommodate the surge that was occurring in that area.</p>
<p class="blog-para">The former Iraqi Passenger Terminal was also restored and reopened for a flight in December 2007. The Passenger Terminal was at the far Southwest corner of the airfield. The flight was for The Hajj. Iraqi Airlines flew 152 passengers to Baghdad which was the first commercial flight since U.S. Forces declared the no fly zone in 1993.</p>
<p><img class="img-fluid p-lg-0 rounded w-100" title="Mosul Airport " src="../../main/img/airport/mosul/1.webp" alt="Mosul Airport " width="950px" height="500px"></p>