Eloise Ogden/MDN B-52 bombers from Minot Air Force Base’s 5th Bomb Wing, like this, are fighting ISIS in the Middle East. The 23rd Bomb Squadron returned after six months there. The 69th Bomb Squadron replaced the 23rd there.

MINOT AIR FORCE BASE – Minot Air Force Base’s 23rd Bomb Squadron conducted the fight against ISIS in Iraq and Syria over six months.

The 23rd personnel and bombers recently returned to the Minot base, swapping places in the Middle East with the base’s other bomb squadron, the 69th.

“They flew over 500 sorties,” said Col. Sloan Hollis, vice commander of the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base.

“They dropped well over 4,000 bombs, several thousands of targets engaged – did a lot of good work in the fight against ISIS (in) Iraq and Syria. We’re happy to have them back,” Hollis told members of the Minot Area Chamber of Commerce’s Military Affairs Committee. The group met at the Grand Hotel in Minot Oct. 5.

“(It was) one of the largest air campaigns that has gone on since Vietnam is what they said,” Hollis added.

When members of the 23rd Bomb Squadron and other support people deployed to the Middle East earlier this year, it was the first time in 12 years B-52s from Minot AFB had deployed to the Middle East for combat operations.

Hollis said personnel and bombers with the 69th will remain in the Middle East until the April timeframe. When the 69th Bomb Squadron completes its deployment that will wrap up the B-52s being in theater and they’ll switch out with B-1 bombers.

The 5th Bomb Wing will take part in Global Thunder exercise shortly, Hollis said.

Score posting for Global Strike Challenge will also take place soon. Global Strike Challenge is an Air Force Global Strike Command competition for bombers, intercontinental ballistic missiles, helicopter operations and security forces.

Earlier and within an eight-day timeframe, the base had visits from top-level Air Force officials including Gen. Robin Rand, commander of Global Strike Command; Heather Wilson, secretary of the Air Force; and Gen. James Mattis, secretary of defense, Hollis said.

Maj. Gen. Anthony Cotton, commander of 20th Air Force, also visited the 91st Missile Wing, said Col. Craig Ramsey, Minot missile wing vice commander.