BMP-1
Iraqi Army

BMP-1 Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV)
Operator: Iraqi Army
Location: No-fly/No-drive Zones
Timeframe: 1996

Personal interest:
The primary objective of Operation Southern Watch was to protect Iraqi Shi'ite rebels from aerial attack by Iraqi forces. However, Iraqi Army forces were emboldened to conduct artillery and armored assault operations against the Shi'ite rebels even without the benefit of airpower. In 1994 the Iraqi Army deployed two divisions all the way to the Kuwait border. This led to a UN Resolution imposing a no-drive zone in which the Iraqi Army was not allowed to enter. This no-drive zone was in effect during my service with Operation Southern Watch, and occasionally strike missions would be flown by the US Air Force out of Kuwait and by US Navy aircraft from a carrier group in the Persian Gulf. This model represents an Iraqi BMP-1 IFV used during that timeframe.