Military the First \"Major Ground

Military

The first "major ground action" of the Persian Gulf War occurred in January of 1991 in the coastal town of Khafji, Saudi Arabia. A surprise attack of around 500 Iraqi soldiers left two Marine reconnaissance teams trapped in a building. They were later rescued by allied forces, who provided almost all of the counterattack force in Khafji. The death toll of the "hit and run" attack varied between different sources. While Washington claimed that 12 Saudis and 28 Iraqis had died in the incursion, the Saudi commander, General Khalid Bin Sultan claimed 200 Iraqi deaths. Later Marine reports noted that 17 Iraqi tanks had been destroyed in Khafji, and Marine aviators had destroyed 15 more Iraqi military vehicles during their retreat from Khafji. Near the Kuwaiti border, Marines held back another ground offensive which resulted in the destruction of 22 tanks. No American casualties were incurred at Khafji but 11 Marine deaths were reported in the skirmishes along the Kuwaiti border, 50 miles west of Khafji.

Many lessons can be learned from Khafji. First, the situation demonstrates effective coalition fighting; the Qatari and Saudi troops effectively squelched the Iraqi incursion not only in Khafji but also to the West, near the Kuwaiti border. Stratifying coalition forces into primary and secondary sectors ensures organized and effective responses to surprise attack like this one. The Saudi and Qatari forces not only drove back the Iraqis but prevented further problems. This allowed Marine forces to organize their reconnaissance mission and establish ground presence along the strategic Saudi-Kuwaiti border.

Second, Khafji proved a strategic stronghold, allowing American and coalition forces to amass troops only six miles from the Kuwaiti border: "occupying forward positions in anticipation of a future ground offensive." In contrast, Iraqi troops lay "entrenched behind layers of minefields, barbed wire and fortifications in occupied Kuwait."