Al-Faw peninsula

The Al-Faw peninsula is a significant piece of land in the Persian Gulf. It sits in the extreme southeast of Iraq. This marshy area is part of a delta for the Shatt al-Arab river. This river is formed by the meeting of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. The peninsula is located southeast of Basra, Iraq's third largest city. It is a vital area because it controls access to the Shatt al-Arab waterway. This waterway provides the main path to the important port of Basra.

Geography defines the borders and neighbors of the peninsula. To the northeast, it borders the country of Iran. Across the Shatt al-Arab, you can find the Iranian cities of Abadan and Khorramshahr. To the southwest, the peninsula sits opposite Kuwait. Specifically, it is across from Bubiyan Island and Warbah Island. These islands are located near the Iraqi city of Umm Qasr. The landscape is mostly wet and marshy.

Life on the peninsula is mostly quiet and lightly inhabited. There are very few civilian buildings or settlements across the land. The town of Al-Faw is the only significant town in the area. It is a port and a fishing town. Most of the few residents work in the shipping, oil, or fishing industries. The peninsula is also home to major oil installations. These include two main oil tanker terminals named Khor al-Amaya and Mina al-Bakr. These sites are essential for Iraq's oil industry.

History shows that Al-Faw has been a site of intense conflict. During the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s, the peninsula was bitterly contested. On 11 February 1986, Iranian forces launched a surprise attack. They targeted the southernmost tip of the peninsula. At that time, the Iraqi defenses were held by poorly trained Popular Army conscripts. These units collapsed under the attack by the Iranian Pasdaran, or Revolutionary Guard. This event marked the first time Iran successfully occupied Iraqi territory.

The occupation of the peninsula put the city of Basra at risk. Iranian forces used the peninsula as a launch pad for Silkworm missiles. They fired these missiles at oil terminals and shipping in the Persian Gulf. They also fired them at Kuwait, which supported Iraq during the war. On 17 April 1988, the Iraqi Army began a major operation called Ramadan Mubarak. They used over 100,000 Republican Guard troops against 15,000 Iranian Basij soldiers. Through artillery, air bombardments, and sarin nerve gas, the Iraqis expelled the Iranians. This successful mission was completed within just 35 hours.

Other conflicts also impacted the peninsula's military and economic role. During the 1991 Gulf War, Allied forces bombed military installations on Al-Faw. This action effectively closed all of Iraq's shipping activities. It rendered access to the Persian Gulf and the Shatt al-Arab useless. In the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the peninsula was one of the first targets. British, American, and Polish troops were involved in the mission. These forces performed a midnight amphibious assault to secure the area.

The 2003 mission had very specific goals for the coalition forces. They needed to secure the port of Umm Qasr. This would allow humanitarian goods to be shipped into the country. They also had to protect oil installations from being sabotaged by retreating Iraqi forces. US Navy SEAL Teams 8 and 10 seized the Mina al-Bakr terminal. Polish GROM operators seized the Khor al-Amaya terminal. While the peninsula fell quickly, fighting in Umm Qasr lasted for several days. Eventually, the British forces at Camp Driftwood handed control to Iraqi forces in March 2007.