British air force wing ends Iraq mission

BASRA, Iraq, May 18 (UPI) -- The 903 Expeditionary Air Wing of Britain's Royal Air Force held a flag-lowering ceremony to mark the end of its six-year operation in Iraq.

British forces operated out of the southern port city of Basra in support of Operation Telic, their mission coordinated with the U.S.-led effort in Iraq.

Elements with the RAF deployed to Iraq in 1990 for the Persian Gulf War, supporting subsequent security operations by policing the northern and southern no-fly zones with 300,000 missions.

In support of Operation Telic, RAF forces flew more than 2,500 sorties against Iraqi forces operating under Saddam Hussein, leading to his ouster in 2003.

"This is a significant milestone for the Royal Air Force marking 19 years of continuous operations in the Middle East," said Air Chief Marshal Glenn Torpy, chief of the air staff.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced the end to British combat operations in Iraq on April 30. Remaining RAF forces will continue to draw down their forces while providing training for Iraqi forces in the short term, the British Ministry of Defense reports.

The 903 EAW operated in a command-and-control capacity at the Basra airfield. There were 22 RAF airmen killed during Operation Telic.