3rd Battallion, 2nd Marines USMC at Al Asad, Iraq.
Al Asad Forward Operating Base Al Asad
The Airfield at Al Asad was originally captured by Australian Special Air Service Regiment troops on 16 April 2003 during the opening weeks of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The coalition found scores of fighter aircraft, mostly Soviet-era MiGs but also three advanced MiG-25 Foxbats. Some of the Iraqi MiGs were in flying condition, and, as of late September 2004, remained a unique feature of the airbase, with parts lying discarded accross the barren landscape of Al Asad. Occasionally, one can find an engine of a MiG-25 Foxbat-considered to be the fastest fighter aircraft ever produced-being used as a roadblock.