This article is about the road between Kuwait and Basra. For the Road of Death in Bolivia, see Yungas Road. For the site of numerous murders and disappearances in Canada, see Highway of Tears. For other similarly named roads, see Slaughter alley.
Highway of Death
Part of the Gulf War
Wrecked and abandoned vehicles along Highway 80 in April 1991
The Highway of Death (Arabic: طريق الموتṭarīq al-mawt) is a six-lane highway between 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.[5]
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. 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.[6] Many Iraqi forces 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.[7]
^ abHolsti, Ole R. (2011). "Prelude: The United States and Iraq before the Iraq War". American Public Opinion on the Iraq War. University of Michigan Press. p. 20. doi:10.3998/mpub.1039750. ISBN 978-0-472-03480-2. JSTOR 10.3998/mpub.1039750.6. Air attacks inflicted heavy casualties on retreating forces along what became known as 'the highway of death.' American, British, and French units pursued the Iraqis to within 150 miles of Baghdad.
^Taylor, Scott (2004). Among the Others: Encounters with the Forgotten Turkmen of Iraq. Esprit de Corps Books. p. 92. ISBN 978-1-895896-26-8. Canadian CF-18 fighters based in Qatar were only equipped with air-to-air missiles, as their role was to provide rear area combat air patrols. However, upon hearing from allied pilots that there was a massive 'turkey shoot' taking place in Kuwait, unofficial arrangements were made to equip the Canadians with U.S. bombs.
^Giordono, Joseph (February 23, 2003). "U.S. troops revisit scene of deadly Gulf War barrage". Stars and Stripes. Archived from the original on January 16, 2011. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
^Tucker, Spencer C., ed. (2010). The Encyclopedia of Middle East Wars: The United States in the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, and Iraq Conflicts: The United States in the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, and Iraq Conflicts. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Vol. I. ABC-CLIO. p. 710. ISBN 978-1-85109-948-1.
^Thompson, Mark (May 3, 2012). "Highway (of Death) Robbery". Time. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
^Hersh, Seymour M. (May 22, 2000). "Overwhelming Force: What happened in the final days of the Gulf War?". The New Yorker. pp. 48–82. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
^Cite error: The named reference hammurabi was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
The HighwayofDeath (Arabic: طريق الموت ṭarīq al-mawt) is a six-lane highway between Kuwait and Iraq, officially known as Highway 80. It runs from Kuwait...
aircraft, resulting in a 60 kilometres (37 mi) stretch ofhighway strewn with debris—the HighwayofDeath. New York Times reporter Maureen Dowd wrote, "With...
by two A-10 aircraft, resulting in a 60 km stretch ofhighway strewn with debris—the HighwayofDeath. New York Times reporter Maureen Dowd wrote, "With...
The Highwayof Tears is a 719-kilometre (447 mi) corridor ofHighway 16 between Prince George and Prince Rupert in British Columbia, Canada, which has...
the collapse of the Nicoll Highway near the Merdeka Bridge. Four workers were killed and three were injured, delaying the construction of the Circle Line...
Mexican 'highwayofdeath.' Their families continue to search for them". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2022-08-07. "Canada's Deadly HighwayOf Tears Mirrors...
subsequently attacked, resulting in a 60 km stretch ofhighway strewn with debris—the HighwayofDeath. New York Times reporter Maureen Dowd wrote, "With...
Alberta Provincial Highway No. 63, commonly referred to as Highway 63, is a 434-kilometre (270 mi) highway in northern Alberta, Canada that connects the...
Longewala – Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 Operation Mole Cricket 19 – 1982 Lebanon War HighwayofDeath – Gulf War Battle of Fallujah (2016) – Iraqi Civil...
to Abdaly on the Iraqi border. The highway has become known as "The HighwayofDeath" due to its involvement in the Gulf War when the Allied troops destroyed...
Shelling ofHighway 1 (Vietnamese: Đại lộ Kinh Hoàng, Highwayof Horror) was the killing of South Vietnamese soldiers and civilians by the People's Army of Vietnam...
State Highway (US 99, now part of Interstate 5) and then through Grapevine toward Bakersfield. At 3:30 p.m, Dean was stopped by California Highway Patrol...
Kermanshah highway, followed by Army Aviation helicopters using anti-tank missiles. Most enemy armour was destroyed, in a miniature version of the Highwayof Death...
the "HighwayofDeath." Those who traveled through this highway in 2010 and 2011 used to see "burned vehicles, bullet-shot trucks on the side of the road...
man, still walking down the highway, meets Death. The man decides to make Death the child's godfather saying that Death takes away the rich and the poor...
Highway to Hell is the sixth studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, released on 27 July 1979. It is the first of three albums produced by Robert...
ex-girlfriend's death". Houston Chronicle. AFP. April 5, 2001. Archived from the original on July 16, 2019. Retrieved July 16, 2019. "Lost Highway (1997)". British...
to controlled-access highway, or a translation for Autobahn, autostrada, autoroute, etc. According to Merriam Webster, the use of the term predates the...
opposite of Yakutsk. At Nizhny Bestyakh the Kolyma Highway connects to the Lena Highway. The Kolyma Highway is colloquially known as the Road of Bones (Russian:...
show, "Long Lonesome Highway", which became a No. 20 Billboard Hot 100 and No. 41 Hot Country Songs hit. "Long Lonesome Highway" also peaked at number...
State Route 190 (SR 190) is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that is split into two parts by the Sierra Nevada. The western portion begins...
Global Information
Iraq
Norman Schwarzkopf[3]
