Battle of Khafji

Battle of Khafji
Part of the Gulf War

Map of military operations during the liberation of Khafji[image reference needed]
Date29 January – 1 February 1991
(3 days)
Location
Khafji, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia
28°25′30″N 48°30′00″E / 28.425°N 48.500°E / 28.425; 48.500
Result Coalition victory
Belligerents
 United States
 Saudi Arabia
 Qatar
 Kuwait
 Iraq
Commanders and leaders
Saudi Arabia Khalid bin Sultan
Saudi Arabia Turki Abdulmohsin al-Firmi
Saudi Arabia Sultan Adi al-Mutairi
Saudi Arabia Hamid Matar
Saudi Arabia Fahd bin Abdul-Aziz
Ba'athist Iraq Saddam Hussein
Ba'athist Iraq Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri[1]
Ba'athist Iraq Salah Aboud Mahmoud
Units involved
Saudi Arabia 2nd SANG Brigade
Saudi Arabia Royal Saudi Marine Battalion
Qatar Qatar Tank Battalion
 United States 1st Marine Division
 United States 2nd Light Armored Infantry Battalion, 2nd Marine Division
Ba'athist Iraq 1st Mechanised Division
Ba'athist Iraq 3rd Armoured Division
Ba'athist Iraq 5th Mechanised Division
Casualties and losses
Coalition estimate:
43 killed (11 from friendly fire)
52 wounded
2 captured[2][3]
9–12 armoured vehicles lost
1 AC-130 shot down
Iraqi claims:
71 killed
148 wounded
702 missing
186 armoured vehicles destroyed
Saudi Arabian estimate:
60–300 killed
400 captured
90 armoured vehicles destroyed[2][3]

The Battle of Khafji was the first major ground engagement of the Gulf War. It took place in and around the Saudi Arabian city of Khafji, from 29 January to 1 February 1991.

Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, who had already tried and failed to draw Coalition forces into costly ground engagements by shelling Saudi Arabian positions and oil storage tanks and firing Scud surface-to-surface missiles at Israel, ordered the invasion of Saudi Arabia from southern Kuwait. The 1st and 5th Mechanized Divisions and 3rd Armored Division were ordered to conduct a multi-pronged invasion toward Khafji, engaging Saudi Arabian, Kuwaiti, and U.S. forces along the coastline, with a supporting Iraqi commando force ordered to infiltrate further south by sea and harass the Coalition's rear.[4]

These three divisions, which had suffered significant losses from attacks by Coalition aircraft in the preceding days, attacked on 29 January. Most of their attacks were repulsed by U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Army forces but one of the Iraqi columns occupied Khafji on the night of 29–30 January. Between 30 January and 1 February, two Saudi Arabian National Guard battalions and two Qatari tank companies attempted to retake control of the city, aided by Coalition aircraft and U.S. artillery. By 1 February, the city had been recaptured at the cost of 43 Coalition servicemen dead and 52 wounded. Iraqi Army fatalities numbered between 60 and 300, while an estimated 400 were captured as prisoners of war.

Although the invasion of Khafji was initially a propaganda victory for the Ba'athist Iraqi regime, it was swiftly recaptured by Coalition forces. The battle demonstrated the ability of air power to support ground forces.

  1. ^ "Izzat Ibrahim Al-Douri / Izzat Ibrahim al-Duri". Archived from the original on 5 September 2019. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Westermeyer132 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Stanton10 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Titus, James (1996). "The Battle of Khafji: An Overview and Preliminary Analysis" (PDF). Defense Technical Information Center. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 January 2020. Retrieved 11 September 2019.