Battle of Al Salman

DATE: 04/06/2026

TIME (GMT): 18:00

ERA: Modern

MAP(S): Al Salman

TYPE: COOP

GAME: Arma 3

EVENT: Official

AUTHOR(S): Sclembi

SLOTS: 75 / 81

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RATING: (31)

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From the perspective of the United States military, the 1991 Gulf War is often remembered as a campaign dominated by air power, long-range strikes, and rapid armored maneuver across the open deserts of Kuwait, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia. Unlike later conflicts in places such as Baghdad, Fallujah, or Mosul, the war featured relatively little large-scale urban combat. Nevertheless, several important episodes involved fighting in and around populated areas, providing American forces with a glimpse of the difficulties associated with close-quarters urban warfare. The most significant urban battle was the Battle of Khafji, which took place in late January 1991 when Iraqi forces crossed into Saudi Arabia and occupied the city of Khafji. U.S. Marines, Army units, special operations personnel, and coalition partners helped coordinate the response. Fighting in the city required troops to move through streets, around buildings, and among civilian structures where visibility was limited and threats could emerge from multiple directions. Coalition aircraft and artillery supported the defenders, but ground forces still had to contend with the challenges of identifying enemy positions hidden within an urban environment. Small-unit engagements, reconnaissance patrols, and exchanges of fire at relatively short distances contrasted sharply with the long-range tank battles more commonly associated with the war.

As coalition forces later advanced into Kuwait, they approached Kuwait City with caution, aware that urban combat could become costly if Iraqi troops chose to defend the capital block by block. Military planners understood that cities restrict maneuver, reduce the effectiveness of some armored advantages, and create opportunities for ambushes. However, the anticipated large-scale street fighting largely failed to materialize. Iraqi forces were already weakened by weeks of coalition air attacks, and many units retreated or surrendered before coalition troops entered major urban areas. Even so, American units moving through towns, suburbs, and built-up zones remained alert for snipers, isolated resistance, and hidden defensive positions. In these areas, soldiers and Marines occasionally conducted searches of buildings, secured intersections, and cleared structures to ensure that bypassed enemy personnel could not threaten advancing forces. Such operations demanded greater attention to close-range threats than the sweeping desert maneuvers occurring elsewhere on the battlefield.

The experience of Khafji and the cautious advance toward Kuwait City reinforced several lessons for U.S. commanders. Urban terrain complicated command and control, limited lines of sight, and increased the risk of confusion between friendly and enemy forces. Buildings could conceal infantry, anti-tank weapons, and observation posts, forcing troops to rely on detailed reconnaissance and coordinated combined-arms tactics. Although the Gulf War did not become a prolonged urban conflict, the limited close-quarters fighting that did occur demonstrated that cities could quickly negate some of the advantages provided by superior mobility and technology. From the American perspective, these encounters served as an important reminder that even in a campaign defined by overwhelming air superiority and rapid armored offensives, urban areas remained dangerous environments where combat could become personal, chaotic, and deadly at very short ranges.

In this mission, a U.S. mechanized infantry company mounted in M113 armored personnel carriers will seize the city of Al Salman during the final stages of the Gulf War. Intelligence reports indicate that Iraqi forces have established defensive positions throughout the urban area, using government buildings, apartment blocks, and industrial facilities as strongpoints. The American assault is spearheaded by four M1 Abrams tanks, whose firepower and armor provide support as infantry squads advance street by street through the city. Overhead, four A-10 attack aircraft stand ready to engage enemy concentrations and armored threats. However, Iraqi defenders are protected by a platoon of ZSU self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, forcing the A-10 pilots to carefully coordinate their attacks and suppress enemy air defenses before providing close air support. Victory depends on combining armor, infantry, and air power to overcome determined resistance and capture Al Salman before the defenders can organize a counterattack.