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| A US Air Force B-52 Stratofortress aircraft from Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, arrive at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, April 9, 2016. (Staff Sgt Corey Hook / US Air Force via AP) |
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The United States has deployed B-52 bombers to the Mideast nation of Qatar to take part in the US-led bombing campaign against the Islamic State group, the Air Force said Saturday.
It is the first time the Cold War-era heavy bombers will be based in the region since the 1991 Gulf War, when they operated from neighboring Saudi Arabia.
The Air Force said the B-52s arrived at Qatar's al-Udeid Air Base from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana on Saturday.
The long-range bombers will join a multinational coalition carrying out airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Syria and Iraq.
