Camp Liberty
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| Also known as | Camp Victory North; Mukhayam Al-Nasr (Arabic for Camp Victory); Mukhayam Al Hurriya / Camp Hurriya; Camp Al-Tahreer; Forward Operating Base Liberty; Hurriya Temporary Transit Location (2012-2016) |
|---|---|
| Location | Northeast of Baghdad International Airport, western Baghdad |
| Type | Large forward operating base and life-support area within the Victory Base Complex |
| Category | U.S. installation in Iraq |
| Opened | 2003 (as Camp Victory North; renamed Camp Liberty in mid-September 2004) |
| Closed or transferred | 1 December 2011, transferred to the Government of Iraq with the rest of the Victory Base Complex; used 2012 to September 2016 to house members of the People's Mujahedin of Iran |
| Coordinates | 33.30026, 44.24658 (33°18′00.9″N 44°14′47.7″E) |
Overview
Camp Liberty began during the 2003 invasion as Camp Victory North. In mid-September 2004 it was renamed Camp Liberty (Mukhayam Al Hurriya in Arabic) as part of an effort to give U.S. facilities around Baghdad friendlier names and to stop the constant renaming of bases.
The camp lay northeast of Baghdad International Airport and formed part of the Victory Base Complex together with Camp Victory, Camp Striker, Logistics Base Seitz and Camp Slayer. GlobalSecurity, as cited by Wikipedia, described it as twice the size of Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo and one of the largest U.S. overseas posts built since the Vietnam War.
Camp Liberty had a post exchange with Pizza Hut, Subway, Cinnabon, Burger King, Taco Bell and Green Beans outlets nearby. FOB Ferdinand, a U.S. Army Special Forces and Iraqi Special Forces base, was created on the camp in 2007, and the camp had its own fuel depot.
On 11 May 2009 a U.S. Army sergeant opened fire at a counseling clinic on the camp, killing five fellow service members before he was subdued. Between October 2007 and May 2008 thieves using forged paperwork stole large quantities of fuel from the Camp Liberty depot, a case that led to federal guilty pleas.
After the U.S. withdrawal, the Iraqi government moved nearly all of the roughly 3,400 residents of Camp Ashraf, members of the People's Mujahedin of Iran, to Camp Liberty in 2012. The camp, known then as Camp Hurriya, was hit by deadly rocket attacks in 2013 and 2015. The last residents left for Albania in September 2016.
Timeline
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| 2003 | The camp was established during the invasion as Camp Victory North. |
| 2004 | Renamed Camp Liberty in mid-September as part of a Baghdad-wide base renaming effort. |
| 2005 | 1st Brigade, 10th Mountain Division soldiers were stationed at the camp; the Riva Ridge MWR facility hosted USO performers in December. |
| 2007 | FOB Ferdinand was established on Camp Liberty for U.S. and Iraqi special forces. |
| 2007-08 | Thieves stole fuel from the Camp Liberty depot between October 2007 and May 2008; one participant later admitted to taking $39 million worth. |
| 2009 | On 11 May a U.S. soldier killed five service members at the camp's counseling clinic. |
| 2011 | Gen. Lloyd Austin recognized United States Division-Center soldiers at the camp on 27 August; the complex was handed to Iraq on 1 December. |
| 2012 | Nearly all MEK residents of Camp Ashraf were moved to Camp Liberty (Camp Hurriya). |
| 2013-15 | Rocket and mortar attacks killed residents in February and December 2013 and in October 2015. |
| 2016 | The last remaining residents left for Albania in September. |
Units stationed at Camp Liberty
Units documented in public sources as based at or operating from Camp Liberty. This list is not complete; units rotated frequently and many smaller elements were never reported. Veterans can add their unit on the message board below.
| # | Unit | When | Role at the base | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Multi-National Force-Iraq | Not specified | The camp was a large MNF-I installation northeast of the airport | link |
| 2 | 1st Brigade, 10th Mountain Division | December 2005 | Soldiers stationed at Camp Liberty; entertained at the Riva Ridge MWR facility | link |
| 3 | U.S. Army Special Forces and Iraqi Special Forces (FOB Ferdinand) | from 2007 | Operated from FOB Ferdinand on Camp Liberty | link |
| 4 | Joint Combat Camera Center Iraq | December 2008 | Documented community events on Forward Operating Base Liberty | link |
| 5 | 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade ('Dagger'), 1st Infantry Division, United States Division-Center | August 2011 | Soldiers recognized by the USF-I commander at Camp Liberty | link |
| 6 | 5th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment; 1st Battalion, 63rd Armor Regiment; 1st Battalion, 7th Field Artillery Regiment | August 2011 | Dagger Brigade battalions whose soldiers were recognized at Camp Liberty | link |
Notable events and facts
- Camp Liberty was described as twice the size of Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo.
- Part of the 2008 film The Hurt Locker was set at Camp Liberty.
- On 11 May 2009 five U.S. service members were killed in a shooting at the camp's counseling clinic.
- Vice President Joe Biden and Jill Biden visited Camp Liberty on 4 July 2010.
- From 2012 to 2016 the camp housed Iranian MEK exiles moved from Camp Ashraf; a December 2013 rocket attack killed four and wounded about seventy, and an October 2015 attack killed more than 20.
Photographs
Roll call: who served at Camp Liberty
No names have been added yet. This roll call is built from the people who served here, one post at a time.
Message board: Camp Liberty
Served here? Share a memory, name your unit, or send a correction. Posts are reviewed before they appear. The full community board is on the Message Board page.
Sources
- Camp Liberty - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Liberty
- Victory Base Complex - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victory_Base_Complex
- Camp Victory - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Victory
- Wikimedia Commons: Mitch Allan Iraq. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mitch_Allan_Iraq.jpg
- Wikimedia Commons: Iraqi Boy Scouts and Girl Guides at Camp Liberty Iraq DVIDS139414. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Iraqi_Boy_Scouts_and_Girl_Guides_at_Camp_Liberty_I
- Wikimedia Commons: United States Forces – Iraq commander recognizes 'Dagger' Brigade soldiers for excellence DVIDS450492. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:United_States_Forces_–_Iraq_commander_recognizes_'
- Wikimedia Commons: USF-I commander recognizes 'Dagger' Brigade soldiers (DVIDS450493). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:United_States_Forces_–_Iraq_commander_recognizes_'
- Wikimedia Commons: Joe and Jill Biden visit Camp Liberty (2010-07-04). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Joe_and_Jill_Biden_visit_Camp_Liberty,_Baghdad,_Ir