Highway of Death

Quick Facts: Who was Highway of Death?

Subject:

Highway of Death

Known for:

The six-lane highway connecting Kuwait and Iraq, infamous for the military devastation of 1991.

Verified Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

The Highway of Death (Arabic: طريق الموت ṭarīq al-mawt) is a six-lane highway connecting Kuwait and Iraq, officially known as Highway 80. It runs from Kuwait City to the border town of Safwan in Iraq and then on to the Iraqi city of Basra. The road was used by Iraqi armored divisions for the 1990 invasion of Kuwait. It was repaired after the Gulf War and used by U.S. and British forces in the initial stages of the 2003 invasion of Iraq. During the American-led Coalition offensive in the Persian Gulf War, American, Canadian, British, and French aircraft and ground forces attacked retreating Iraqi military personnel attempting to leave Kuwait on the night of February 26–27, 1991, resulting in the destruction of hundreds of vehicles and the deaths of many of their occupants.

Career & Major Achievements

Between 1,400 and 2,000 vehicles were hit or abandoned on the main Highway 80 north of Al Jahra. The scenes of devastation on the road are some of the most recognizable images of the war, and it has been suggested that they were a factor in President George H. W. Bush's decision to declare a cessation of hostilities the next day. Many Iraqi soldiers successfully escaped across the Euphrates river, and the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency estimated that upwards of 70,000 to 80,000 troops from defeated divisions in Kuwait might have fled into Basra, evading capture. The attack began on February 26 when A-6 Intruder attack jets of the United States Marine Corps' 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing blocked the head and tail of the column on Highway 80, bombarding a massive vehicle column of mostly Iraqi Regular Army forces with Mk 20 Rockeye II cluster bombs, effectively boxing in the Iraqi forces in an enormous traffic jam and thereby setting up targets for subsequent airstrikes. Over the next ten hours, scores of U.S. Marine, U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy aircraft from USS Ranger (CV/CVA-61) attacked the convoy using a variety of weapons.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Vehicles surviving the air attacks were later engaged by arriving coalition ground units, while most of the vehicles that managed to evade the traffic jam and continued to drive on the road north were targeted individually. The road bottle-neck near the Mutla Ridge police station was reduced to a long uninterrupted line of more than 300 stuck and abandoned vehicles sometimes called the Mile of Death. The wreckage found on the highway consisted of at least 28 tanks and other armored vehicles with many more commandeered civilian cars and buses filled with stolen Kuwaiti property. The death toll from the attack remains unknown. British journalist Robert Fisk said he "lost count of the Iraqi corpses crammed into the smoldering wreckage or slumped face down in the sand" at the main site and saw hundreds of corpses strewn up the road all the way to the Iraqi border.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1990: 1990 Milestone — The road was used by Iraqi armored divisions for the 1990 invasion of Kuwait.
2. 1991: 1991 Milestone — During the American-led Coalition offensive in the Persian Gulf War, American, Canadian, British, and French aircraft and ground forces attacked retreating Iraqi military personnel attempting to leave Kuwait on the night of February 26–27, 1991, resulting in the destruction of hundreds of vehicles and the deaths of many of their occupants.
3. 2003: 2003 Milestone — and British forces in the initial stages of the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Notable Quotes by Highway of Death

“I saw hundreds of soldiers like this, but my main target was to reach Basra. We arrived on foot.” (1993)

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Highway of Death

True or False: “The Highway of Death incident occurred because the Iraqi forces were in direct violation of UN Resolution 678, which authorized force removal.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): UN Resolution 678 authorized member states to use 'all necessary means' to remove Iraqi forces; the controversy centered on whether retreating itself constituted a protected status under international law.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Highway of Death