Operation Northern Watch

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Operation Northern Watch
Part of Iraqi no-fly zones
Date January 1, 1997 - March 17, 2003 Location Northern Iraq Result Coalition victory
Belligerents
Iraq	United States United Kingdom Turkey[1][2]
Strength
Various Iraqi air defense forces	Around 50 aircraft and 1,400 personnel at any one time [3]
Casualties and losses
Unknown, many air defense systems destroyed	None

v • d • e Recent wars and conflicts in the Persian Gulf Iran-Iraq War – Opera – Al-Anfal Campaign – Gulf War – 1991 uprisings – Provide Comfort – Southern Watch – 1993 bombings – Kurdish Civil War – Desert Strike – Northern Watch – Desert Fox – Southern Focus – Iraq War

Operation Northern Watch, the successor to Operation Provide Comfort, was a US European Command Combined Task Force (CTF) charged with enforcing its own no-fly zone above the 36th parallel in Iraq. Its mission began on 1 January 1997.

The coalition partners of the United States, United Kingdom, and Turkey provided approximately 45 aircraft^[4] and more than 1,400 personnel to support Operation Northern Watch. The joint U.S. forces of some 1,100 US personnel, included sailors, soldiers, as well as sorties from every arm of the Military of the United States, with the exception of the United States Coast Guard.

The original mandate from the Turkish government allowed the operation to continue for six months. Turkey subsequently approved two 6-month extensions, but indicated that it would not become a permanent mission.

For the first year of the mission, northern Iraq was quiet, with no combat between Coalition aircraft and Iraqi forces.

Operation Northern Watch forces did not take part in Operation Desert Fox in December of 1998. After Operation Desert Fox Iraq announced they would no longer recognize the no-fly zones and began attacking Coalition aircraft. From December 1998 to March 1999, U.S. aircraft over northern Iraq came under almost daily fire from Iraqi surface-to-air missile sites and anti-aircraft guns. U.S. aircraft responded by bombing Iraqi air-defense sites which fired on them, utilizing laser-guided bombs as well as AGM-88 HARM missiles and AGM-130 long rage air-to-surface missiles.^[5]

Coalition aircraft flew patrols on an average of 18 days per month, and were usually fired upon. The most common threat was from anti-aircraft guns. Despite Saddam Hussein offering a $14,000 reward for downing a Coalition aircraft, no warplanes were shot down.^[6]

During the first months of 1999, Coalition activity over northern Iraq was temporarily halted as aircraft were moved to Italy to take part in Operation Allied Force.^[7]

Low level conflict continued up until the 2003 Invasion of Iraq, although the number of response incidents declined dramatically after 1999. The final combat air patrol occurred on March 17, 2003 (from the Incirlik Air Base). Six weeks later, the Operation concluded with an official stand down on May 1, 2003.

A grand total of 36,000 sorties were flown during Operation Northern Watch, and 40,000 personnel had been deployed at some point during the operation.^[8]

[edit] See also

• Operation Southern Watch
• Gulf War
• Iraqi no-fly zones

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Global Security brief on Operation Northern Watch
• Operation Northern Watch Photo Album with captions
• U.S. Navy article on stand down
• Stars & Stripes article