Mutla Ridge

The view from the Mutla Ridge

The Mutla Ridge is located in Jahra Governorate. It is the highest point in Kuwait, standing at 1,004 feet ( 306 metres) high.

History

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."

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.