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 and marked the culmination of the Coalition's air campaign over Kuwait and Iraq, which had begun on 17 January 1991. Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein ordered the invasion of Saudi Arabia from southern Kuwait. He ordered the 1st and 5th Mechanized Divisions and 3rd Armored Division to conduct a multi-pronged invasion toward Khafji, engaging American, Saudi and Qatari forces along the coastline. These three divisions, which had been heavily damaged by Coalition aircraft in the preceding days, attacked on 29 January. Most of their attacks were fought off by U.S. Marines as well as U.S. Army Rangers and Coalition aircraft, 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 American artillery. By 1 February, the city had been recaptured at the cost of 43 Coalition soldiers dead and 52 wounded. The Iraqi Army lost between 60 and 300 dead, while an estimated 400 were captured as prisoners of war. The battle serves as a modern demonstration that air power can halt and defeat a major ground operation. It was also a major test of the Saudi and Qatari armies.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Khafji

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1373:

English mystic Julian of Norwich recovered from a severe illness, during which she experienced a series of intense visions of Jesus Christ; later she would describe them in Revelations of Divine Love, the first known English language book written by a woman. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_of_Norwich

1779:

Russian and French mediators negotiated the Treaty of Teschen to end the War of the Bavarian Succession. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_the_Bavarian_Succession

1888:

Isabel the Redeemer , heiress of Brazil, signed the Lei Áurea into law, formally abolishing slavery in Brazil. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/slavery_in_Brazil

1992:

Li Hongzhi introduced Falun Gong in a public lecture in Changchun, Jilin province, China. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Hongzhi

2008:

Nine bombs placed by the heretofore-unknown terrorist group Indian Mujahideen exploded in 15 minutes in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaipur_bombings

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

faubourg (n): A suburb http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/faubourg

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Always dying, never dead;

Ever ending, never ended; Loathed in darkness, Clothed in light,

He comes, to end a world,

As morning ends the night. --Roger Zelazny http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Roger_Zelazny