Qualla: Shamsi Airfield

Shamsi Airfield: Introduction

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

In February 2009, The Times of London published Google Earth imagery from 2006 showing Predator drones parked outside a hangar at the end of a runway in the Balochistan desert. The Pakistani government initially denied that the airfield was being used for US military or covert operations. It was called Shamsi -- Arabic for 'solar' -- a name given by the Emirati sheikhs who had originally leased it for falconry. But by 2009, the hunting birds had long been replaced by armed unmanned aircraft.

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Shamsi Airfield: Falcons Before Drones

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The story of Shamsi Airfield begins with bustards. In 1992, the Government of Pakistan leased the disused Bhandari Airstrip to the United Arab Emirates for game hunting, specifically falconry targeting the rare bustard birds of Balochistan. Members of UAE royal families flew in t...

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Shamsi Airfield: The CIA Moves In

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

After September 11, 2001, the United States requested access to the airfield. With the approval of President Pervez Musharraf, the UAE sub-leased Shamsi to the Americans on October 20, 2001. The CIA and US Air Force jointly developed it into a military airfield for surveillance a...

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Shamsi Airfield: The Salala Incident

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

On November 26, 2011, US-led NATO forces attacked two Pakistani border check posts just 2.5 kilometres inside Pakistani territory, killing 24 Pakistani soldiers. The attack, known as the Salala Incident, triggered a diplomatic rupture. Pakistan ordered the United States to vacate...

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Shamsi Airfield: Thirty Sorties Out

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The evacuation was swift and methodical. The first US military aircraft arrived at Shamsi on December 4, 2011, to begin removing personnel and equipment. Seven aircraft, including C-17 Globemaster transports, landed over the following week, completing the pullout in 30 sorties. S...

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