US brings B-52s back to the Mideast to target IS

Deployment to Qatar marks first time since 1991 Gulf War the strategic bomber has been used in the region

Illustrative: A US Air Force B-52 Stratofortress aircraft from Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, arrives at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, Saturday, April 9, 2016. (Staff Sgt. Corey Hook/US Air Force via AP)
Illustrative: A US Air Force B-52 Stratofortress aircraft from Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, arrives at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, Saturday, 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.

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.

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