30 Jan (continuing) Saudi Arabian National Guardsmen and Qatari tanks engage a column of Iraqi infantry and tanks in Ras a' Khafji. After a protracted battle, Iraqis are forced out of the town with help of U.S. Marine AH-i Cobra gunships and artillery. Navy A-6s attack three Iraqi landing craft in the vicinity of Shatt a' Arab Channel, leaving 2 ships dead in the water. The other ship fled. A-6 re-attacks a patrol boat in the northern Arabian Gulf. The boat was set ablaze and left burning. A-6s attack patrol boats at a pier at Umm Qasr Naval Base, sinking one, damaging the other. In the vicinity of Bubiyan Island, Navy aircraft engage 4 military vessels, sinking 3 pa- trol boats and damaging a landing craft. To-date, approximately 60 enemy vessels have either been sunk or damaged. All 18 F/A-18s aboard USS SARATOGA deliver 100,000 pounds of MK-83 one thousand pound bombs on Iraqi positions in Kuwait, the largest amount of homb tonnage carried in a single mission. USS CURTS and USS LEETwICH rescues 20 enemy prisoners of war from an Iraqi Polnochny amphibious landing craft sunk by USN A-6 and UK Lynx helos in the northern Arabian Gulf. LEFTWICH is also primary CSAR platform in Gulf, locating and recovering downed pilots. LEFEWICH participated in 16 CSAR cases. 31 Jan DOD announces that over 32,000 sorties have been flown (2,600 today) with no losses of U.S. aircraft. Coaliflon air, ground and naval personnel now exceed 705,000.-U.S. troop strength now exceeds one half mii iiQnL Republican Guard positions have been hit with over 350 tactical fighter strikes and over 10 B-52 strikes. U.S. and coalition tactical aircraft continue to engage tactical armor and infantry positions north of the Ras al Khafji area and along the Kuwaiti Coastal Highway. Sporadic skirmishes in Ras al Khafji between U.S., Saudi and hold-out Iraqi troops until secured at 1400. Two 6-man U.S. Marine reconnaissance teams who had been trapped in the town directing artillery strikes were recovered. Two U.S. soldiers, one male, one female, were reported missing in Saudi Arabia. Not related to Khafji battle. Naval combat air patrols, surface surveillance, strike and mine search opera- tions continue. To-date, 37 mines have been located and destroyed. USS LEFTWICH captures 15 EPWs from Khawar al Amaya oil platform. Iraqi SCUD missile is fired at Israel, falls harmlessly in the West Bank. 1 Feb DOD announces that over 34,000 sorties have been flown (2,500 today), with 19 tactical air strikes and 5 B-52 strikes totalling 600 sorties on Re- publican Guard fortifications along the Saudi Arabian-Kuwaiti bor- der. 300 sorties targeted Iraqi armor and infantry postions along the border. Also, 278 TOMAHAWK cruise missiles launched to-date. DOD reports the destruction of another SCUD missile site. 31 January A-25
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