Mutla Ridge

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The view from the Mutla Ridge Mutlaa.jpg
The view from the Mutla Ridge

The Mutla Ridge is the most prominent hill in Kuwait. Located in the Jahra Governorate, the ridge's highest point is 466 feet (142 metres) above sea level. [1]

Despite being Kuwait's most prominent mountain, it is not the highest point in the country, which is an unnamed point in far western Kuwait with no topographic prominence. [2]

29°23′N47°38′E / 29.383°N 47.633°E / 29.383; 47.633

History

Abandoned vehicles clog the Basra-Kuwait highway out of Kuwait City after the retreat of Iraqi forces, 1991 Highway of Death, DShKM or Type 54 HMG mounted on top of a turret of a tank.JPEG
Abandoned vehicles clog the Basra-Kuwait highway out of Kuwait City after the retreat of Iraqi forces, 1991

During the Gulf War, the Iraq forces were going to launch bombs while they were on the ridge to threaten Saudi Arabia. In February 1991, American aircraft attacked retreating Iraqi forces fleeing Kuwait in the direction of Basra on the "Highway of Death." [3]

Coalition forces later used the rocky outcropping for communication towers, to communicate with troops in Iraq.

During operation "Desert Spring" in 2003, a detachment of the Oklahoma National Guard 45th division 1/179 infantry B company followed by the Indiana National Guard watched and defended the outpost until late in the war, when they were moved to Tallil Air Base in Iraq. Also watching over the Ridge in 2003, was the 946th Transportation Co., a reserve unit, out of Lewes, DE.

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References

  1. "Mutla Ridge - Peakbagger.com". www.peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  2. "Kuwait High Point - Peakbagger.com". www.peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  3. DeGhett, Torie Rose (2014-08-08). "The War Photo No One Would Publish". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2023-08-21.