# Harir Air Base
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> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harir_Air_Base
> Source revision: 1346512837
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{{Short description|American air base in Kurdistan, Iraq}}
{{Infobox military installation
| name = Harir Air Base
| ensign =
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| native_name = {{langx|ku|بنکەی ئاسمانیی ھەریر}} (Bênkêy Asmānīy Harir)
| partof =
| location = [Harir](/source/Harir), [Erbil Governorate](/source/Erbil_Governorate), [Kurdistan Region](/source/Kurdistan_Region),
| nearest_town =
| country = [Iraq](/source/Iraq)
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| coordinates = {{Coord|36|31|37|N|044|20|50|E|region:IQ_type:airport|display=inline,title}}
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| type = Special Operations Air Base
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| pushpin_map = Iraq
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| pushpin_map_caption = Shown within Iraq
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| ownership = [Kurdistan Regional Government](/source/Kurdistan_Regional_Government) (''[de facto](/source/de_facto)'')
| operator = [United States Airforce](/source/United_States_Airforce) (2003; ~2017–present)
[Joint Special Operations Command](/source/Joint_Special_Operations_Command) (~2017–present)
[Delta Force](/source/Delta_Force) (~2017–unknown)
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| built = {{Start date|1983}}
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| used = 1983–2003 ([Iraqi Air Force](/source/Iraqi_Air_Force))
2003–present ([United States](/source/United_States))
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| demolished =
| battles = *[Iran–Iraq War](/source/Iran%E2%80%93Iraq_War)
*[2003 invasion of Iraq](/source/2003_invasion_of_Iraq)
* [War against the Islamic State](/source/War_against_the_Islamic_State)
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| footnotes = '''Sources:''' DoD FLIP[{{Cite book|title=DoD Flight Information Publication (Enroute) – Supplement Europe, North Africa and Middle East|publisher=[National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency](/source/National_Geospatial-Intelligence_Agency)|year=2021|location=St. Louis, Missouri|page=B–71}}]
}}
'''Harir Air Base''' ({{airport codes||ORBR|p=n}}; {{langx|ku|بنکەی ئاسمانیی ھەریر}}), formerly known as '''Bashur Air Base''', is a [special operations](/source/special_operations) air base located near to the town of [Harir](/source/Harir%2C_Iraq), in the [Erbil Governorate](/source/Erbil_Governorate), [Kurdistan Region](/source/Kurdistan_Region), [Iraq](/source/Iraq).[{{Cite web |date=2021-08-25 |title=Inside the US Special Forces mission that eliminated Haji |url=https://www.key.aero/article/inside-us-special-forces-mission-eliminated-haji-abdullah |access-date=2026-01-04 |website=www.key.aero |language=en}}]
As of October 2025, the base continues to be operated by a small contingent of U.S. troops.[{{Cite web |date=2025-10-23 |title=US troops to remain at Iraq air base |url=https://countervortex.org/blog/us-troops-to-remain-at-iraq-air-base/ |access-date=2026-01-04 |website=CounterVortex |language=en-US}}]
==History==
In 1983, the base, previously known as '''Bashur Air Base''', was constructed to improve the deployment flexibility of the [Iraqi Air Force](/source/Iraqi_Air_Force). It was also as part of a national drive to construct new airfields and renovate existing airfields. It was in the early stages of construction by June 1983. A single 2,600 meter long runway orientated NW/SE was built, equipped with two taxiways and an apron.[{{cite web |title=Airfield Construction and Upgrading, Iraq (S) |url=https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP85T00060R000300050001-6.pdf |website=CIA FOIA Electronic Reading Room |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |date=1 June 1983 |page=5 |access-date=17 January 2026}}]
The base was seized during [Operation Northern Delay](/source/Operation_Northern_Delay) by the [United States Armed Forces](/source/United_States_Armed_Forces) as part of the [2003 invasion of Iraq](/source/2003_invasion_of_Iraq). During the operation to seize the base, American paratroopers of the [173rd Airborne Brigade](/source/173rd_Airborne_Brigade)[{{Cite web |date=6 October 2025 |title=Iraqi Kurdistan's Erbil Still A Vital Hub For U.S. Anti-ISIS Campaign |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/pauliddon/2025/10/06/iraqi-kurdistans-erbil-still-a-vital-hub-for-us-anti-isis-campaign/ |access-date=4 January 2025 |website=Forbes}}] reportedly believed they had landed in friendly territory after being greeted by local Kurds and encountering no resistance.[{{Cite web |date=2014-11-12 |title=Iraqi Kurdish Harir town hopes Americans will return to abandoned air base |url=https://theinsightinternational.com/iraqi-kurdish-harir-town-hopes-americans-will-return-to-abandoned-air-base-2014-11-12 |access-date=2026-01-04 |website=The Insight International |language=en-US}}]
Soon after the invasion, the [Kurdistan Regional Government](/source/Government_of_the_Kurdistan_Region) (KRG) encouraged the [United States](/source/United_States) to take advantage of the Kurdish region's stability and offered to host a long-term U.S. military presence at the Harir Air Base, but the proposal was declined. U.S. troops later [withdrew entirely from Iraq](/source/Withdrawal_of_United_States_troops_from_Iraq_(2007%E2%80%932011)) and the base had been largerly abandoned.[{{Cite web|title=Coalition denies reports of withdrawal from Harir airfield|url=https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/25191-Coalition-denies-reports-of-withdrawal-from-Harir-airfield|website=Kurdistan 24}}] including [special operation forces](/source/United_States_special_operations_forces), such as:
* [Pilatus U-28A Draco](/source/Pilatus_U-28_Draco) from the [Air Force Special Operations Command](/source/Air_Force_Special_Operations_Command)[{{cite book|title=[AirForces Monthly](/source/AirForces_Monthly)|date=April 2022|publisher=[Key Publishing Ltd](/source/Key_Publishing)|location=[Stamford](/source/Stamford%2C_Lincolnshire), [Lincolnshire](/source/Lincolnshire), [England](/source/England)|pages=37}}]
* [Boeing MH-47G Chinook](/source/Boeing_CH-47_Chinook) from the [160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne)](/source/160th_Special_Operations_Aviation_Regiment_(Airborne)) (160th SOAR (A))[{{cite book|title=[AirForces Monthly](/source/AirForces_Monthly)|date=March 2017|publisher=[Key Publishing Ltd](/source/Key_Publishing)|location=[Stamford](/source/Stamford%2C_Lincolnshire), [Lincolnshire](/source/Lincolnshire), [England](/source/England)|pages=78}}]
During the war against the Islamic State the base was also home to a unit of the [Delta Force](/source/Delta_Force).