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Balad, Iraq
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Balad (Arabic: بلد) is a city 50 miles (80 kilometres) north of Baghdad in Iraq. It is located within the borders of the so-called Sunni Triangle; however, Balad is a primarily Shiite town of approximately 100,000.
On Oct. 15, 2006, Balad was hit by horrific violence. After the slaying of 17 Shi'ite workers, Mahdi Army militia retaliated by killing at least 78 Sunnis in a spasm of sectarian violence, police, doctors and local residents reported.[1]
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The Air Force calls this base Balad Air Base, although it is actually located within the municipality of Yethrib. The other U. S. military branches call it Camp Anaconda. Its official name is LSA Anaconda. As of early 2007 the base is the central hub for airlift and U.S. Air Force operations in Iraq, it is also a major transshipment point for US Army supply convoys.
It is probably best known for having the only Army & Air Force Exchange Service 35mm projection screen movie theatre in Iraq and for having a full-size swimming pool. Known colloquially as "Mortaritaville" by some of its residents, it is also derogatorially called "Pogadishu" by combat arms soldiers in reference to the large number of non-combat arms soldiers--or the "Pog" (Personnel Other-than Grunt)--stationed there.
Balad has a shortwave relay station SED.
SED's transmission capabilities
- 16 x 500 kw shortwave transmitters
- 26 HR type curtan arrays
SED has similar transmission capabilities to RCI's Sackville Relay Station, and DW's Wertachtal Relay Station.
- ^ In Balad, Age-Old Ties Were 'Destroyed in a Second'. Washington Post. Retrieved on January 1, 2007.
- Balad from Globalsecurity.org
- Biggest Base in Iraq Has Small-Town Feel
- Air Force in Iraq
- 1rst Infantry Division News
- In Balad, Age-Old Ties Were 'Destroyed in a Second'