Bagram Airfield

Bagram Air Base
IATA: none ICAO: OAIX
Summary
Airport type	Military
Operator	United States Army
Location	Bagram
Elevation AMSL	4,895 ft / 1,492 m
Coordinates	34°56′46.48″N 069°15′54″E
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 03/21 9,852 3,003 Concrete 03/21 11,852 3,500 Concrete

Bagram Air Base (ICAO: OAIX) is an airport located at the ancient city of Bagram, southeast of Charikar in Parvan, Afghanistan. The host unit is the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing.

The ICAO ID is OAIX and it is specifically at 34.944N, 69.259E at around 1500 m above sea level. It had a single 3003 m (9852 ft) runway built in 1976. However, the United States spent 68 million US dollars on building a new 3.5-kilometre long runway for the airbase, which was completed in late 2006.

Bagram Air Base has three large hangars, a control tower, and numerous support buildings. There are over 32 acres (130,000 m²) of ramp space. There are five aircraft dispersal areas with a total of over 110 revettments. Many support buildings and base housing built by the Soviets have been destroyed by years of fighting between the various warring Afghan factions. The newly-built runway is capable of serving large military and commercial aircraft. The new runway is 2000 feet longer than the older and is 11 inches thicker, which gives it the ability to handle larger aircraft if necessary, such as the C-5 Galaxy or the Boeing 747.

History

Communist era

Bagram Air Base played a key role during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989, serving as a base of operations for troops and supplies. Bagram was also the initial staging point for the invading Soviet forces at the beginning of the conflict, with a number of airborne divisions being deployed there. Aircraft based at Bagram provided close air support for Soviet and Afghan troops in the field. Some of the Soviet forces based out of Bagram included the 108th Infantry Division and the 345th regiment of the 105th Airborne.

Civil War era

Following the withdrawal of the Soviet forces and the rise of the Mujahideen, Afghanistan plunged into civil war. Control of the base was contested from 1999 onward between the Northern Alliance and Taliban, often with each controlling territory on opposing ends of the airfield. Taliban forces were consistently within artillery and mortar range of the field, denying full possession of the strategic facility to the Northern Alliance. Press reports indicated that at times a Northern Alliance general was using the bombed-out control tower as an observation post and as a location to brief journalists, with his headquarters nearby.

Reports also indicated that Northern Alliance rocket attacks on Kabul had been staged from Bagram, possibly with Russian-made FROG-7 Rockets. Taliban attacks on the airbase included mortar attacks and airstrikes using cluster bombs.

US and allied forces

During the U.S-led invasion of Afghanistan the base was secured by a team from the British Special Boat Service. By early December 2001 troops from the 10th Mountain Division shared the base with Special Operations Command officers from MacDill Air Force Base in Florida and soldiers of the 82nd Airborne Division from Fort Bragg. As of mid-December 2001 more than 300 American troops, mainly with the 10th Mountain Division, were providing force protection at Bagram. The troops patrolled the base perimeter, guarded the front gate, and cleared the runway of explosive ordnance. As of early January 2002 the number of 10th Mountain Division troops had grown to about 400 soldiers.

An USAF A-10 Thunderbolt II taking off at Bagram Air Base

As of late January 2002, there were somewhat over 4,000 US troops in Afghanistan, of which about 3,000 were at Kandahar airport, and about 500 were stationed at Bagram Air Base. The runway was repaired by US, Italian and Polish military personnel.

As of mid-June 2002, Bagram Air Base was serving as home to more than 7,000 U.S. and multinational armed services working together in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Numerous tent areas house the troops based there, including one named Viper City.

By November 2003 B-huts were replacing the standard shelter option for troops. There were several hundred, with plans to build close to 800 of them. The plans were to have nearly 1,200 structures built by 2006, but completion of the project was expected much earlier; possibly by July 2004. The increased construction fell under US Central Command standards of temporary housing and allowed for the building of B-huts on base, not to show permanence, but to raise the standard for troops serving here. The wooden structures have no concrete foundation thus not considered permanent housing, just an upgrade from the tents, the only option Bagram personnel and troops had seen previously. The small homes offer troops protection from environmental conditions including wind, snow, sand and cold. On average, B-huts house up to 8 people, as does the majority housing option, the tent.

2007 Bagram Air Base bombing

Main article: 2007 Bagram Air Base bombing

Bagram used as detention center

Bagram Air Base is the main detention facility for people detained by US forces in Afghanistan. The airbase currently houses around 630 enemy combatants who have no legal recourse.. Apart from US military and intelligence personnel, the only people officially allowed inside the prison building are Red Cross representatives who inspect the facility once every two weeks..

Detainee abuses at Bagram have included beatings, sleep deprivation, sexual humiliation, shackling to ceilings, and threats with guard dogs. In 2005 the New York Times reported that two detainees had been beaten to death by guards.

The detention center at Bagram Air Base has been heavily criticized for its abusive treatment of prisoners. In 2005 it was reported that two detainees had been beaten to death by guards, and Amnesty International has used the word "torture" to describe treatment at the detention center.

In July 2005 four detainees escaped from Bagram detention center.

See also

• List of airports in Afghanistan
• Kandahar Air Base
• Manas Air Base
• Provincial Reconstruction Team
• International Security Assistance Force
• Afghanistan War order of battle
• Bagram torture and prisoner abuse

External links

• runway dimensions
• The Prisoner, NOW on PBS
• Bagram Airbase
• Global Security Numerous maps and photos from the sky as of August 13, 2001
• May 15, 2005 News "Slowly, but steadily, a slew of construction projects is providing troops with better housing and improved work areas as well as a handful of new shops for eating and entertainment."
• "Cheney targeted in Taliban attack". Aljazeera.net.