The Al Jahra Force was a Kuwait

task force A task force (TF) is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology. Many ...

, of roughly brigade strength, requested by then, Kuwait Minister of Defense,

Sheikh Sheikh ( , , , , ''shuyūkh'' ) is an honorific title in the Arabic language, literally meaning "elder (administrative title), elder". It commonly designates a tribal chief or a Muslim ulama, scholar. Though this title generally refers to me ...

Saad Al-Salim Al-Sabah Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah () (13 May 1930 – 13 May 2008) was the Emir of Kuwait from 15 January 2006, succeeding Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, until abdicating nine days later on 24 January. Prior to that he had ...

and formed by Major General

Mubarak Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Sheikh Mubarak Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah (; 1934–1987) was a member of the House of Sabah and one of the first Kuwaitis to attain the military rank of lieutenant general. He was one of the first Kuwaitis to be commissioned as an officer by th ...

and his deputy Brigadier General Saleh Mohammed Al-Sabah; subsequently being tasked to the respective

combat Combat (French language, French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent Conflict (process), conflict between multiple combatants with the intent to harm the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed (Hand-to-hand combat, not usin ...

commanders on October 15, 1973, after the outbreak of the

Yom Kippur War The Yom Kippur War, also known as the Ramadan War, the October War, the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, or the Fourth Arab–Israeli War, was fought from 6 to 25 October 1973 between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states led by Egypt and S ...

.
List of

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

contributions by country; Sheikh

visiting the Egyptian front in 1972. The force, consisting of more than 3,000 men, was organized into a

Tank Battalion is a multi-directional shooter arcade video game that was released by Namco in 1980. The only direct home conversion is for the MSX, although it was followed up by two sequels: '' Battle City'' for the Famicom in 1985 and '' Tank Force'' for arc ...

, an

infantry battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several companies, each typically commanded by a major or a captain. The typical battal ...

, two

companies A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether natural, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specifi ...

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

, an

anti-aircraft Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface ( submarine-launched), and air-ba ...

company and a

company of the

Kuwait 25th Commando Brigade The Kuwait 25th Commando Brigade of the Kuwait Army, commonly known as the 25th Commando, is one of Kuwait's various principal Commando brigades. The 25th Commando operates at the disposition of the respective commander who reports to the respec ...

. In addition, the task force also included medical, engineering and signal units. The brigade remained active until the end of September 1974, and then returned to

Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...

after a farewell ceremony in

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

. The task force was equipped with Vickers main battle tanks,

Ferret armoured car The Ferret armoured car, also commonly called the Ferret scout car, is a British armoured fighting vehicle designed and built for reconnaissance purposes. The Ferret was produced between 1952 and 1971 by the UK company Daimler. It was widely us ...

, and

Alvis Saracen The FV603 Saracen is a six-wheeled armoured personnel carrier designed and produced by Alvis Car and Engineering Company, Alvis from 1952 to 1976. It has been used by a variety of operators around the world and is still in use in secondary role ...

. The first combat company equipped

artillery batteries In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit or multiple systems of artillery, mortar systems, rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers, surface-to-surface missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, etc., so grouped to fac ...

type

Mk F3 155mm The 155 mm self-propelled gun Mk F3, or the Canon de 155 mm Mle F3 Automoteur (Cn-155-F3-Am), was developed in the early 1950s by the French Army to replace their American M41 Gorilla 155 mm self-propelled guns. The Mk F3 is the sm ...

self-propelled guns while the second

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...

packed 120 mm mortars type. The

anti-tank Anti-tank warfare refers to the military strategies, tactics, and weapon systems designed to counter and destroy enemy armored vehicles, particularly tanks. It originated during World War I following the first deployment of tanks in 1916, and ...

combat units were equipped with

Carl Gustav recoilless rifle The Carl Gustaf 84 mm recoilless rifle (, named after '' Carl Gustafs Stads Gevärsfaktori'', which initially produced it) is a Swedish-developed caliber shoulder-fired recoilless rifle, initially developed by the Royal Swedish Army Mate ...

. The

combat company was equipped with triple barrel anti-aircraft guns type 20 mm,

Zastava M55 The Zastava M55, also designated 20/3-mm-M55, is a Yugoslavian/Serbian 20mm triple-barreled automatic anti-aircraft gun developed in 1955 and produced by Crvena Zastava (now Zastava Arms company) in Kragujevac, Serbia, for Yugoslav People's Army ...

References

Yom Kippur War Military history of Kuwait Military units and formations established in 1973 Military units and formations disestablished in 1974 {{Kuwait-stub

See also

References