FOB Diamondback
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| Also known as | Mosul Airfield; Mosul International Airport; Logistical Staging Area Diamondback; Contingency Operating Site Diamondback; RAF Mosul (historic) |
|---|---|
| Location | Mosul airport, just south of Mosul, Nineveh Governorate |
| Type | Forward operating base / airfield |
| Category | U.S. installation in Iraq |
| Opened | 2003 (U.S. Army use) |
| Closed or transferred | 2011, airfield and facility turned over to the Government of Iraq |
| Coordinates | 36.30583, 43.14750 (36°18′21.0″N 43°08′51.0″E) |
Overview
FOB Diamondback occupied the eastern side of the Mosul airfield, about 350 kilometers north of Baghdad and just south of the city. The field was used by the Royal Air Force from the end of World War I and handed to the Royal Iraqi Air Force in 1936. It later became a major Iraqi Air Force base, was rebuilt under the 1970s 'Super-Base' program, and became a civil airport in 1990 with a new concrete runway and terminal.
Coalition forces seized the airfield in 2003, and the 101st Airborne Division was the first Army unit to occupy it. The U.S. base was divided into two forward operating bases: FOB Marez to the west and FOB Diamondback to the east, which included the airfield itself.
On 21 December 2004 a suicide bomber wearing an Iraqi security uniform attacked a dining hall at neighboring FOB Marez, killing 14 U.S. soldiers, four American Halliburton employees and four Iraqi soldiers and wounding 72 others. In 2006-2007 the U.S. government spent more than $15 million restoring airfield lighting and generators and building a new control tower, while the airfield was run by the 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry under the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade.
Wikipedia states that the Marez and Diamondback sites were consolidated under the Marez name during the 2007 surge, but Army imagery continued to refer to FOB Diamondback in 2009 and to Contingency Operating Site Diamondback in May 2011. The restored passenger terminal handled a Hajj flight in December 2007, the first commercial flight since 1993. The airfield and facility were turned over to the Iraqi government in 2011.
Timeline
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1920s-1936 | RAF Mosul hosted RAF squadrons and armored car companies until handover to the Royal Iraqi Air Force in 1936. |
| 2003 | Coalition forces seized the airfield; the 101st Airborne Division was the first Army unit to occupy it. |
| Dec 2004 | A suicide bombing at the FOB Marez dining hall killed 22 people, including 14 U.S. soldiers. |
| May 2006 | Members of Congress visited 172nd Stryker Brigade soldiers at Logistical Staging Area Diamondback. |
| 2006-07 | U.S. funds restored airfield lighting and generators and built a new control tower; 1-17 Cavalry ran the airfield. |
| Dec 2007 | The restored passenger terminal handled a Hajj flight carrying 152 passengers to Baghdad. |
| 2009 | Military police of Task Force Greywolf served at FOB Diamondback. |
| 2011 | 6-17 Cavalry (Task Force Saber) was based at FOB Diamondback from March; the facility was turned over to Iraq later that year. |
Units stationed at FOB Diamondback
Units documented in public sources as based at or operating from FOB Diamondback. 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 | 101st Airborne Division | 2003 | First Army unit to occupy the Mosul airfield base | link |
| 2 | 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team | 2006 | Brigade soldiers at Logistical Staging Area Diamondback | link |
| 3 | 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment (82nd Airborne Division) | 2006-2007 | Controlled the airfield under the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade | link |
| 4 | Combat Aviation Brigade, 25th Infantry Division | 2006-2007 | Higher headquarters for airfield operations, based at Camp Speicher | link |
| 5 | 351st Military Police Company (Task Force Greywolf) | 2009 | Military police and working-dog security demonstrations at FOB Diamondback | link |
| 6 | 6th Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment (Task Force Saber) | 5 March - December 2011 | Aviation squadron supporting U.S. Division-North stability operations | link |
Notable events and facts
- The Mosul airfield served the RAF from the end of World War I and was handed to the Royal Iraqi Air Force in 1936.
- Aircraft seized from Kuwait in 1990, including a Kuwait Airways Boeing 767, were held at the Mosul airbase.
- The 21 December 2004 suicide bombing at the FOB Marez dining hall, next to Diamondback, killed 14 U.S. soldiers, four Halliburton employees and four Iraqi soldiers; Ansar al-Sunna claimed responsibility.
- Representatives Mike Pence, Joe Pitts, Lincoln Davis and Jim Costa visited soldiers at Logistical Staging Area Diamondback on 13 May 2006.
- In December 2007 Iraqi Airlines flew 152 Hajj passengers from Mosul to Baghdad, the first commercial flight there since 1993.
- In May 2011 Iraqi police counterterrorism K-9 teams trained at Contingency Operating Site Diamondback.
Photographs
Roll call: who served at FOB Diamondback
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Message board: FOB Diamondback
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Sources
- Mosul International Airport - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosul_International_Airport
- Mosul Airport - GlobalSecurity.org. https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/iraq/mosul-airbase.htm
- Division History - 25th Infantry Division Association. https://www.25thida.org/division/
- Wikimedia Commons: Mike Pence with US soldiers in Mosul, 2006. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:20171_Mike_Pence_with_US-Soldiers_in_Mosul,_Iraq_2
- Wikimedia Commons: Man's Best Friend Wags Tail to Security in Mosul (DVIDS). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Man's_Best_Friend_Wags_Tail_to_Security_in_Mosul_D