MULLAHS AND MISSILES 199The city was garrisoned by a battalion of the Saudi National Guard and a
Qatari tank battalion, and supported by a U.S. liaison team intended to
provide artillery support from the U.S. ships or aircraft as appropriate.
The Iraqi 5th Mechanized Division attacked southward, capturing Al
Khafji, chasing from it the Saudi National Guard and Qatari forces that
had garrisoned the city.
A counterattack was quickly mounted by Saudi National Guard and the
Qatari armored forces, accompanied by a few U.S. marines and supported
by massive American air attacks. The counterattack had little finesse, and
the Saudis rolled through the streets of southern Khafji firing wildly. The
Iraqis fired back with as little discipline, resulting in an utterly chaotic
battle with little or no direction from above. The counterattack was re-
pulsed. When the morning of January 30 arrived, the Iraqis still held
Khafji.
The next morning the 2nd Saudi National Guard again advanced into
Khafji supported by two companies of Qatari tanks that positioned them-
selves to block Iraqi reinforcements that might move against the city. The
Saudis again drove into the city, Saudi officers screaming into bullhorns
demands that the Iraqis surrender. Iraqi defensive fire slowed the Saudi
thrust, bringing some pause to the battle. The Saudis, however, were not
to be denied and resumed their attack. Eventually they cleared the city
and recaptured it, claiming 30 Iraqis killed, 37 wounded, and 429 pris-
oners. Their attack had cost them 19 dead and 36 wounded. During the
attack the allied air strikes claimed to have inflicted 2,000 casualties on
the Iraqis and to have destroyed 300 vehicles. The Iraqi 5th Mechanized
Division was virtually destroyed. Ground engagements cost it 40 tanks
and many armored personnel carriers. The Allied command reported de-
stroying 544 tanks, 314 armored personnel carriers, and 425 artillery
pieces between January 29 and February 3 in all parts of the war zone.
Most of these were from the corps that had attacked Khafji.
The Battle of Khafji was the only offensive by the fourth-strongest army
in the world. Instead of attacking, the Iraqis built massive sand fortifica-
tions of the type that had served so well against Iran. These fortified dunes,
and their dictator’s bluster, were to be equally ineffective against the Al-
lied bombing, or the armored assault that followed.
On February 24 Saddam’s house of cards collapsed as the Allies at-
tacked in a huge armored advance led by two American corps and incor-
porating elements from most other nations of the world. With superior
reconnaissance, maneuvering, firepower, and leadership, the Allied storm
was neither stopped nor delayed by the Iraqi defenses. In a few hours the
Allies had reentered Kuwait city and enveloped most of the Iraqi army.