Coalition air and ground attacks on retreating Iraqi forces along Highway 80 destroyed hundreds of vehicles and may have prompted President Bush to declare a ceasefire the following day.
Key Facts
- Date of attack
- Night of February 26–27, 1991
- Vehicles hit or abandoned
- 1,400–2,000 vehicles
- Highway designation
- Highway 80 (six-lane)
- Iraqi troops estimated escaped
- 70,000–80,000 troops
- Coalition forces involved
- USA, Canada, UK, France
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
During the Gulf War, Iraqi military forces who had occupied Kuwait since the 1990 invasion began retreating northward along Highway 80 toward Safwan and Basra as the Coalition ground offensive advanced, creating a concentrated column of armored vehicles and personnel on a single road.
On the night of February 26–27, 1991, American, Canadian, British, and French aircraft and ground forces attacked the retreating Iraqi convoy along Highway 80 north of Al Jahra. Between 1,400 and 2,000 vehicles were struck or abandoned, and many of their occupants were killed in what became one of the most documented episodes of the war.
The widespread destruction along the highway produced some of the war's most recognizable images of devastation. The scenes have been cited as a contributing factor in President George H. W. Bush's decision to declare a cessation of hostilities the next day, though a large number of Iraqi troops—estimated at 70,000 to 80,000—escaped across the Euphrates into Basra.