Editing Gulf War (section)

===Iraqi invasion of Saudi Arabia (Battle of Khafji)===
{{Main|Battle of Khafji}}
{{More citations needed|section|date=December 2018}}
[[File:Battle of Khafji 1991.svg|thumb|Military operations during Khafji's liberation]]

On 29 January, Iraqi forces attacked and occupied the lightly defended Saudi city of [[Khafji]] with tanks and infantry. The Battle of Khafji ended two days later when the Iraqis were driven back by the [[Saudi Arabian National Guard]], supported by Qatari forces and US Marines.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Washingtonpost.com: Fog of War – Post Archive|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|language=en-US|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/longterm/fogofwar/archive/post013091.htm|access-date=2021-03-25|issn=0190-8286}}</ref> The allied forces used extensive artillery fire.{{Citation needed|date=February 2023}}

Both sides suffered casualties, although Iraqi forces sustained substantially more dead and captured than the allied forces. Eleven Americans were killed in two separate [[friendly fire]] incidents, an additional 14 US airmen were killed when their [[AC-130]] gunship was shot down by an Iraqi surface-to-air missile,<ref>{{cite web|last=Wilkinson|first=Jeff|date=May 29, 2016|title=25 years ago, this University of South Carolina graduate gave his life in Desert Storm|url=https://www.thestate.com/news/local/article80667657.html|access-date=March 25, 2021|website=The State}}</ref> and two US soldiers were captured during the battle. Saudi and Qatari forces had a total of 18 dead. Iraqi forces in Khafji had 60–300 dead and 400 captured.{{Citation needed|date=February 2023}}

The Battle of Khafji was an example of how air power could single-handedly hinder the advance of enemy ground forces. Upon learning of Iraqi troop movements, 140 coalition aircraft were diverted to attack an advancing column consisting of two armored divisions in battalion-sized units. Precision stand-off attacks were conducted during the night and through to the next day. Iraqi vehicle losses included 357 tanks, 147 armored personnel carriers, and 89 mobile artillery pieces. Some crews simply abandoned their vehicles upon realizing that they could be destroyed by guided bombs, stopping the divisions from massing for an organized attack on the town. One Iraqi soldier, who had fought in the Iran–Iraq War, remarked that his brigade "had sustained more punishment from allied airpower in 30 minutes at Khafji than in eight years of fighting against Iran."<ref>[http://www.airforcemag.com/MagazineArchive/Pages/2014/February%202014/0214reversal.aspx AirLand Reversal] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140219160549/http://www.airforcemag.com/MagazineArchive/Pages/2014/February%202014/0214reversal.aspx |date=19 February 2014 }}. ''Air Force Magazine''. 1 February 2014.</ref>