Operation Provide Comfort

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Operation Provide Comfort/Provide Comfort II
Part of the Iraqi no-fly zones conflict
Commemorative medallion issued to some participating US soldiers
Date March 1991 – 31 December 1996 Location Northern Iraq Result Establishment of Kurdish de facto autonomous region in northern Iraq
Belligerents
United States Peshmerga  United Kingdom Germany  France  Australia  Netherlands  Turkey Italy  Spain  Portugal	Iraq Support:  Belarus[1][2]
Commanders and leaders
John Shalikashvili	Saddam Hussein
Casualties and losses
2 UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters downed by friendly fire with 26 killed 5 US servicemen killed and 25 wounded 3 UK servicemen wounded 2 Dutch servicemen wounded Total: 31 killed, 30 wounded	90 killed, 85 wounded Many air defense systems destroyed 1 MiG-23 Flogger shot down 1–2 Su-22 Fitters shot down[3]

Operation Provide Comfort and Provide Comfort II were military operations initiated by the United States and other Coalition nations of the Persian Gulf War, starting in April 1991, to defend Kurdish refugees fleeing their homes in northern Iraq in the aftermath of the Gulf War, and to deliver humanitarian aid to them. The no-fly zone instituted to help bring this about would become one of the main factors allowing the development of the autonomous Kurdistan Region.