Ирак соғысындағы Даниялық әскери контингенті

Danish military contingent during the Iraq War

Dancon/Irak (short for Danish Contingent/Irak) was a Danish ground contingent deployed to Iraq from June 2003 to July 2007, during the Iraq War.

Camp Eden was located about 9 km north west of Al Qurnah, near Glory Canal. The camp was built in June/July 2003 by the then attached Engineer Company. Covering around 500,000 m2, it was built on top of one of Saddam Hussein's military installations, previously destroyed. The camp was nicknamed "Ørken Fortet" (Desert Fortress) by the locals. Its radio communications code name was "Amsterdam". Camp Eden was disassembled in August–September 2004 when Dancon's AOR doubled in size due to an expansion further South. Dancon moved to Camp Danevang, located inside Shaiba Logistics Base.

Cimic House, located in Al Qurnah, is a former Ba'ath Party building. It was the site of the Danish Civil Military Co operation (CIMIC) from June 2003 to May 2004 when it was handed over to the Iraqis.

Camp Yggdrasil was located on Shaiba Logistics Base, about 15 km west of Basra. It was built during June/July 2003. The home of the National Support Element (NSE), the camp was later incorporated into the newly built Camp Danevang. Yggdrasil, from which the camp was named, is a mythological tree between heaven and hell in Norse mythology.

Camp Danevang, located on the Shaiba Logistics Base, was officially handed over by the construction company on 18 October 2004. However, it had already been in use since September of that year, following the closure of Camp Eden. The units responsible for the construction of the camp were the Army Operational Command (Hærens Operative Kommando) and the Defence Construction Service (Forsvarets Bygningstjeneste). The foundations of the camp were built by Danish Camp Supply A/S and Iraqi Basra Engineering. The construction of the actual camp and all the associated requirements, including the transportation of all equipment from Camp Eden, was done by Dancon itself with help from an attached Engineer Detachment and the Danish International Logistical Center. It was decided in June 2004 to reposition Dancon to this location following the doubling of Dancon's AOR (now about 20,000 km2, nearly extending all the way down to Kuwait), thus allowing Dancon to be more centralized in its AOR. Camp Danevang was handed over to the Iraqi authorities in March 2007.

In January 2007 Dancon relocated to Camp Einherjer, located on the British Basra Air Station, west of Basra. The camp was built between November 2006 and January 2007. With the withdrawal of both Dancon and its smaller successor HELDAT from Southern Iraq, the fate of camp Einherher is unclear (presumably, it has been transferred to Iraqi forces).

Since 2003, seven Danish soldiers have lost their lives in Iraq. 16 August 2003, Lance corporal Preben Pedersen, from the Jydske Dragonregiment (Jutland Dragoon Regiment), was killed by friendly fire. 1 October 2005, a Danish army reserve officer, from the Jydske Dragonregiment, First lieutenant Bjarke Olsen Kirkmand was killed by a roadside bomb. 23 March 2006, a Private from Den Kongelige Livgarde (the Royal Life Guards), Jesper Nielsen, was killed by an IED. 6 June 2006, a Pfc Dennis Ove Hansen, was killed in a vehicle accident. 23 September 2006, Lance corporal from the Royal Danish Air Force, Kim Wadim, was killed by an IED. 6 October 2006, a Private from the Jydske Dragonregiment, Martin Hjorth was killed in combat following an ambush on a Danish patrol. 14 May 2007, Private Henrik Nøbbe from the Jydske Dragonregiment, was killed by small arms fire in an ambush in Al Harta.

Every Danish soldier who participated in Dancon/Irak received The Defence Medal with an inscription reading OIF (the abbreviation for Operation Iraqi Freedom). The Defence Medal for participation in Iraq has also been awarded posthumously to all the fallen soldiers. Furthermore, in May 2005, two Danish soldiers received The Defence Medal for heroic deeds during their tour of duty in Iraq. They were both from Den Kongelige Livgarde. One of the two soldiers, Sergeant Ole Gretlund, was awarded the medal when he saved the lives of Lithuanian soldiers in Al Qurnah. The Lithuanian soldiers, who were under the command of DANCON/Irak, were pinned down in a firefight with insurgents. Gretlund saved the lives of the soldiers by his exemplary leadership and personal valour. After some hours, the insurgents withdrew their positions and the Lithuanian soldiers were evacuated with no Danish or Lithuanian casualties. Another Danish soldier, Pfc. Thomas Huusmann of the Danish Army Reserve, was awarded the medal because he saved the lives of both Iraqis and Danes in two firefights in Iraq. During the first, he saved the lives of an officer, an interpreter, and a sheikh while under heavy fire from local tribes in Al Qurnah. In the second firefight in August 2004, Huusmann protected ten Danish soldiers' lives while under assault rifle and RPG fire from insurgents at close quarters, by remaining calm and returning fire. There were no casualties among any of the coalition soldiers on either occasion. Each commander of Dancon/Irak has been awarded the Order of the Dannebrog for his service to the Danish Army. Soldiers who served under Dancon/Irak that have been killed or wounded in action have also been awarded The Medal for Killed and Wounded in Service.