Background
On April 7, 1991, Iraq accepted United Nations (UN) cease-fire conditions and resolutions, thereby officially ending the Gulf War. This same day, a large multinational, multiple-agency humanitarian effort under the authority of UN Security Council Resolution #688 began to aid the approximately 500,000 Kurdish refugees who had fled from Iraqi military forces into the hills of northern Iraq. On April 18, 1991, John Shalikashvili took command of the U.S.-led operation to ensure security for UN relief operations and the Kurdish refugees, called Operation Provide Comfort (OPC).
OPC took place in an area of northern Iraq above the 36th parallel. This area, approximately 160 by 70 kilometers in size, was designated a "no-fly" security zone by UN coalition forces and was enforced by a combined task force (CTF) of daily armed aircraft patrols from participating nations, including the United Kingdom, France, Turkey, and the United States. The United States Army was tasked with assisting civilian relief agencies to build communities and facilities for the Kurds in Northern Iraq. Over the next three years, 27,000 fixed-wing and 1,400 helicopter coalition flights took place in the zone to support humanitarian operations without interference from Iraqi aircraft or other military units.
In April 1994 OPC was co-commanded by USAF Brigadier General Jeffrey Pilkington. The OPC combined air forces were commanded by USAF Colonel Curtis H. Emery. USAF Colonel Douglas J. Richardson was the director of operations for the combined air forces.
Read more about this topic: 1994 Black Hawk Shootdown Incident
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