The Day in the Gulf

IRAQIS DRIVEN OUT: Saddam Hussein’s troops took a severe beating as Saudi and U.S. forces drove them from the Saudi border town of Khafji, the allied military commander said. He added that the allies took 167 prisoners, destroyed 42 tanks and 35 other vehicles and killed an undetermined number of Iraqis. Eleven Marines died in the battle.

MARINE FAMILIES MOURN: Families at Camp Pendleton learned that nine of the 11 Marines killed in the first ground battles of the war were from the camp. “It hits you in the heart. These are our comrades,” said a spokeswoman, Marine Cpl. Lynda MacTavish. The two other dead were from Twentynine Palms.

2 SOLDIERS SOUGHT: The Pentagon said a search is under way for two soldiers--one man and one woman--missing since Wednesday. The two were not directly involved in the fighting at the Saudi town of Khafji.

ANOTHER SCUD: Israel said an Iraqi Scud-type missile struck the occupied West Bank, but there were no reports of injury or damage. The attack was eighth that Iraq has aimed at Israel since the war began.

2,600 SORTIES: Allied planes continued to bombard Iraqi targets, with more than 2,600 sorties flown in the last 24 hours, the Pentagon said. In contrast, Iraqi planes flew only eight sorties, it said.

DAY OF PRAYER: President Bush asked Americans to join Sunday in a day of prayer for peace and for U.S. troops.

RED CROSS AID: A Red Cross convoy carrying 19 tons of emergency medical supplies for Iraqi civilians crossed from Iran into Iraq, the International Committee of the Red Cross said in Geneva. It was the first mission since the war began.