Kandahar International Airport (more commonly known as Kandahar Airport) (IATA: KDH, ICAO: OAKN) is located 10 miles (16 kilometers) south-east of Kandahar City in Afghanistan. The airport was built by the United States in the 1960s, under the United States Agency for International Development program. It may have been intended to be used as a possible U.S. military base in case the United States and former USSR had a show down of war. It was occupied by the Soviets in 1979, and was severely damaged during the Soviet war in Afghanistan in the 1980s. It received further damages again during the US raids in October 2001, when the Taliban government was being removed. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 527 pixelsFull resolution (2186 × 1440 pixel, file size: 226 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) (All user names refer to en. ... An IATA airport code, also known an IATA location identifier, IATA station code or simply a location identifier [1], is a three-letter code designating many airports around the world, defined by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). ... The ICAO (IPA pronunciation: ) airport code or location indicator is a four-letter alphanumeric code designating each airport around the world. ... This article is about the city in Afghanistan. ... The term above mean sea level (AMSL) refers to the elevation (on the ground) or altitude (in the air) of any object, relative to the average sea level. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... This article is about the unit of length. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... This article is about the unit of length. ... An IATA airport code, also known an IATA location identifier, IATA station code or simply a location identifier [1], is a three-letter code designating many airports around the world, defined by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). ... The ICAO (IPA pronunciation: ) airport code or location indicator is a four-letter alphanumeric code designating each airport around the world. ... This article is about the city in Afghanistan. ... USAID logo The United States Agency for International Development (or USAID) is the U.S. government organization responsible for most non-military foreign aid. ... Soviet redirects here. ... Combatants USSR DRA Mujahideen of Afghanistan supported by: USA Saudi Arabia Pakistan Iran China and others. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... The Taliban (Pashto: , also anglicized as Taleban) are a Sunni Muslim Pashtun movement that ruled most of Afghanistan from 1995 until 2001, when their leaders were removed from power by a cooperative military effort between the United States, United Kingdom and the Northern Alliance. ...

As of 2007, Kandahar Airport has been rebuilt and is used for both military and civilian flights.^[1] The Airfield is sometimes difficult to locate from the sky during day-time due to lack of contrast with the ground and the usual dust or haze in the area. But during night time the runway is well lit up and can easily be spotted. Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st Century. ...

History

Construction

Kandahar International Airport passenger terminal

The airfield itself was built between 1956 and 1962 by American consultants, for a cost of USD 15 million. Bearing a great resemblance to typical U.S. architecture of the time, its' original purpose was as a refueling stop for long-range piston engined aircraft traveling between the Middle East and Southeast Asia. However, with the advent of jet aircraft, such stops were no longer necessary, and the airport saw little use.^[2] Since the airport was designed as a military base, it is more likely that the United States intended to use it as such in case there was a show-down of war between the United States and former USSR. While the United States was busy building Kandahar Airport, the USSR was busy in the north building Kabul Airport. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... This article is about the city in Afghanistan. ... “USD” redirects here. ... Components of a typical, four stroke cycle, DOHC piston engine. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ... Jet aircraft are aircrafts with jet engines. ... Kabul International Airport (IATA: KBL, ICAO: OAKB), sometimes known as Khwaja Rawash Airport, is located 16 kilometers (9 miles) from downtown Kabul, Afghanistan. ...

Soviet era

During the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, the airfield was used intensively by the Soviet Air Forces, both as logistical facility for flying in troops and supplies and as a base for launching airstrikes against local Mujahideen groups^[3]. Combatants USSR DRA Mujahideen of Afghanistan supported by: USA Saudi Arabia Pakistan Iran China and others. ... The Soviet Air Force, also known under the abbreviation VVS, transliterated from Russian: ВВС, Военно-воздушные силы (Voenno-Vozdushnye Sily), formed the official designation of the air force of the Soviet Union. ... Military logistics is the art and science of planning and carrying out the movement and maintenance of military forces. ... Mujahideen (Arabic: , ; Turkish: , literally strugglers) is a term for Muslims fighting in a war or involved in any other struggle. ...

Fighting in the Kandahar area was particularly intense, and Soviet bombing campaigns destroyed much of the city and many of the surrounding villages^[4].

Hijacking

The airport came into the public eye during the tense drama that was played out in its airfield when Pakistan-backed terrorists, who hijacked and landed Indian Airlines Flight 814 on the airfield, ordered the Indian Government to ensure the release and safe-passage of three alleged Pakistani terrorists in return for letting the occupants of the passenger plane leave without harm. Although the exact nature of the deal that was struck between the Indian Government and the Pakistan-backed hijacking group is not known at this point, it did secure the release of the 3 prisoners who were being held in a prison in India. Indian Airlines Flight 814 (abbreviated IC-814) was a flight that flew from Kathmandu, Nepals Tribhuvan International Airport to Delhi, Indias Indira Gandhi International Airport. ... ...

Operation Enduring Freedom

Kandahar Airfield

As part of the US-led Operation Enduring Freedom, the Royal Air Force has based a squadron of Harrier GR7A aircraft at Kandahar Airfield to provide close air support to coalition ground forces.^[5] Eight F-16 close air support fighters of the Royal Netherlands Air Force were deployed to Kandahar Airfield to support the expanded NATO operation in southern Afghanistan in 2006. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 347 pixelsFull resolution (1070 × 464 pixel, file size: 189 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) The Kandahar Area Office is located at the Kandahar Air Field (KAF) in south eastern Afghanistan, 10 miles from the bustling city of Kandahar. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 347 pixelsFull resolution (1070 × 464 pixel, file size: 189 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) The Kandahar Area Office is located at the Kandahar Air Field (KAF) in south eastern Afghanistan, 10 miles from the bustling city of Kandahar. ... Combatants United States, Poland, France, Canada, Pakistan, India, Australia, United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines (in the Philippines theatre only), Northern Alliance, Italy, Czech Republic, Hungary, Ethiopia, Somalia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Albania, Macedonia, Romania, Portugal, Bulgaria, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Georgia Taliban, al-Qaeda, Abu Sayyaf, Jemaah... “RAF” redirects here. ... The BAE Systems/Boeing Harrier II (GR5, GR7, and GR9 series) is a second generation vertical/short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) jet aircraft used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and, since 2006, the Royal Navy. ... An Apache attack helicopter provides close air support to United States Army soldiers patrolling the Tigris River southeast of Baghdad, Iraq during the Iraq War. ... The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a modern multi-role jet fighter aircraft built in the United States and used by dozens of countries all over the world. ... Image:Flag of the Royal Netherlands Air Force. ... This article is about the military alliance. ...

While USAID has been slow to rebuild the facility, the vast majority of the facility has been reclaimed from years of neglect and damage by Soviet and Taliban soldiers.

The interior gardens, pools, kitchen galley, restroom facility, and ticketing areas have been restored. With the transistion of the U.S. passenger area terminal to the Afghans in 2005, the airport is currently used for civilian flights. It was used for the 2006 Hajj by Muslim pilgrims. This article is about the Islamic tradition. ...

Canadian forces in 2006

With the closure of Camp Julien in Kabul on November 29, 2005, most of the Canadian Forces personnel in Afghanistan were located in the Kandahar region. Canadian Brigadier-General David Fraser took command of the multinational brigade from its headquarters at Kandahar Airfield (KAF) in March 2006. The majority of headquarters personnel was Canadian and they deployed for a nine-month period^{[citation needed]}. Image File history File links Emblem-important. ... Camp Julien is the main base for the Canadian contingent of ISAF in Kabul, Afghanistan. ... For other places with the same name, see Kabul (disambiguation). ... Brig. ...

Night view of Kandahar Airport in 2007.

At the same time, Canada also fielded a battle group for two successive six-month rotations, and deployed a new rotation for the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) at Camp Nathan Smith in Kandahar. Canada has committed to maintain the PRT for at least 2009^{[citation needed]}. Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... A Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) is an administrative unit of international aid to Afghanistan, consisting of a small operating base from which a group of sixty to more than one hundred civilians and military specialists work to perform small reconstruction projects or provide security for others involved in aid work. ... Camp Nathan Smith was established on October 15, 2005, in name of Private Nathan Smith of the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricias Canadian Light Infantry. ...

These deployments in February 2006 brought Task Force Afghanistan in Kandahar to about 2,250 personnel. The mission of TFA was to improve the security situation in southern Afghanistan, and play a key role in the transition from the U.S.-led multinational coalition to NATO leadership. This change was made in southern Afghanistan in the summer of 2006.^[6]

Trivia

• September 11th hijackers Saeed al-Ghamdi and Waleed al-Shehri were both security guards at the airport, as well as Mushabib al-Hamlan.

The date that commonly refers to the attacks on United States citizens on September 11, 2001 (see the September 11, 2001 Attacks). ... Saeed al-Ghamdi (Arabic: سعيد الغامدي) was named by the FBI as one of the hijackers of United Airlines Flight 93 as part of the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attack. ... Waleed M. al-Shehri (Arabic: الشهري, also transliterated Alshehri) was named by the FBI as a hijacker of American Airlines Flight 11 from Boston to Los Angeles that crashed into the World Trade Center as part of the September 11, 2001 attacks. ... A security officer guards a construction site. ... A original candidate in the September 11, 2001 attack, Mushabib al-Hamlan became involved with militancy at secondary-school in December 1999, where he attended gatherings to watch videos about the glory of Jihad and detailing the atrocities of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the Yugoslav wars. ...

See also

• List of airports in Afghanistan
• Bagram Air Base

List of airports in Afghanistan, sorted alphabetically within each category. ... Bagram Air Base (ICAO: OAIX) is an airport located at the ancient city of Bagram, southeast of Charikar in Parvan, Afghanistan. ...

References

External links

• Kandahar Airfield Information
• Kandahar Airfield Specifications
• Kandahar Airfield Photos