A dozen F-16s and 200 support personnel from the Air Force Reserve's 419th Fighter Wing are scheduled for a deployment to the Middle East in early December.
The fighters are to participate in Provide Comfort II, a U.N.-sanctioned operation designed to protect Kurdish refugees in northern Iraq. According to the current schedule, the wing from Hill will fly its first missions over northern Iraq Dec. 13 and will return home on Valentine's Day.The operation began in April 1991. American Air Force Reserve jets have flown out of Incirlik in support of the operation since December 1992.
The Turkish government has supported several extensions of the original operation, said wing commander Col. David E. Tanzi. "The Turks have an election Dec. 1 to decide if they want to allow the United States to allow this operation. Unless the Turks decide to terminate the agreement that lets us stage Provide Comfort II out of Incirlik, it looks like we're on our way."
Incirlik, located just north of the Syrian border, was the operating base for American F-117 Stealth fighters during the gulf war. The base has supported an American community since before the war.