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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