[340] Liberation of Kuwait (Arabic: ) (tarr al-kuwayt) is the term used by Kuwait and most of the coalition's Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates. [36] The U.S. Marine Corps also fought the biggest tank battle in its history at Kuwait International Airport. And the final point that I think needs to be made is this question of casualties. The Saudis had backed Iraq in that war, as they feared the influence of Shia Iran's Islamic revolution on its own Shia minority. Eventually, privately contracted crews extinguished the fires, at a total cost of US$1.5billion to Kuwait. [129][130] One of these losses is a confirmed air-air victory. Also, the uranium-235 that remains in depleted uranium emits only a small amount of low-energy gamma radiation. [69] This "wholly defensive" doctrine was quickly abandoned when, on 8 August, Iraq declared Kuwait to be Iraq's 19th province and Saddam named his cousin, Ali Hassan Al-Majid, as its military-governor. These eight-man patrols landed behind Iraqi lines to gather intelligence on the movements of Scud mobile missile launchers, which could not be detected from the air, as they were hidden under bridges and camouflage netting during the day. contact. [308], During the conflict, coalition aircrew shot down over Iraq were displayed as prisoners of war on TV, most with visible signs of abuse. We cannot come all the way to you in the United States, but individual Arabs may reach you We do not place America among the enemies. It had reasonable armour protection and a 30mm gun. It was decided to send British armored forces into Kuwait 15 hours ahead of schedule, and to send US forces after the Republican Guard. [238] Operating on the left flank of the US XVIII Airborne Corps, the French Army force was the Division Daguet, including troops from the French Foreign Legion. [159] That same evening the Task Force identified an Iraqi mortar position and engaged it with both direct and indirect fires. Local media outlets in cities across the USA screened similar oppositional media. On 23 February, fighting resulted in the capture of 500 Iraqi soldiers. Jordan and Iraq both looked for more discipline, with little success. [41], Throughout the Cold War, Iraq had been an ally of the Soviet Union, and there was a history of friction between Iraq and the United States. [116], Many of the coalition countries were reluctant to commit military forces. Iraqi missile barrages aimed at coalition targets stationed in Saudi Arabia were also largely unsuccessful, and on 24 February 1991, the coalition launched a major ground assault into Iraqi-occupied Kuwait. So, I think we got it right, both when we decided to expel him from Kuwait, but also when the President made the decision that we'd achieved our objectives and we were not going to go get bogged down in the problems of trying to take over and govern Iraq. A long convoy of retreating Iraqi troops formed along the main IraqKuwait highway. Two Air National Guard units were stationed at Al Kharj Air Base, the South Carolina Air National Guard's 169th Fighter Wing flew bombing missions with 24 F-16s flying 2,000 combat missions and dropping four million pounds (1,800,000 kilograms; 1,800 metric tons) of munitions, and the New York Air National Guard's 174th Fighter Wing from Syracuse flew 24 F-16s on bombing missions. [120], Although the Iraqi military committed human rights abuses during the invasion, the alleged incidents that received the most publicity in the US were fabrications of the public relations firm hired by the government of Kuwait to persuade Americans to support military intervention. 19901991 war between Iraq and American-led coalition forces, This article is about the conflict against Iraq in 19901991. [195][200] U.S. Marine Corps tank losses would be light as they suffered the loss of ten M-60 tanks during combat operations. [citation needed] The air campaign was commanded by USAF Lieutenant General Chuck Horner, who briefly served as US Central Command's Commander-in-Chief Forward while General Schwarzkopf was still in the US. [49] Iraq's debts to Kuwait amounted to $14billion. [279], The largest accident among coalition forces happened on 21 March 1991, when a Royal Saudi Air Force C-130H crashed in heavy smoke on approach to Ras Al-Mishab Airport, Saudi Arabia. However, President Bush pressured Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir not to retaliate and withdraw Israeli jets, fearing that if Israel attacked Iraq, the other Arab states would either desert the coalition or join Iraq. [284], In 1994, the US Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs with Respect to Export Administration published a report entitled, "U.S. Chemical and Biological Warfare-Related Dual Use Exports to Iraq and their Possible Impact on the Health Consequences of the Gulf War". They took 500 prisoners and inflicted heavy losses, defeating Iraq's 26th Infantry Division. But when this happens in the context of what you said on your national day, then when we read the details in the two letters of the Foreign Minister, then when we see the Iraqi point of view that the measures taken by the UAE and Kuwait is, in the final analysis, parallel to military aggression against Iraq, then it would be reasonable for me to be concerned. [44] Kuwait had been a part of the Ottoman Empire's province of Basra, something that Iraq claimed made Kuwait rightful Iraqi territory. Desert Storm was a sustained 43-day air campaign including four days of ground operations by the United States and its allies against Iraq between Jan. 17, 1991 and Feb. 28, 1991. After finding no evidence to support it, the organization issued a retraction. Deploys Air and Sea Forces After Iraq Threatens 2 Neighbors", "Interrogator Shares Saddam's Confessions", "CONFRONTATION IN THE GULF; Excerpts From Iraqi Document on Meeting With U.S. However, the US did begin to condemn Iraq's human rights record, including the well-known use of torture. [166] 1st Infantry Division Apache helicopters and B-52 bombers conducted raids against Iraq's 110th Infantry Brigade. [citation needed], In December 1990, Iraq made a proposal to withdraw from Kuwait provided that foreign troops left the region and that an agreement was reached regarding the Palestinian problem and the dismantlement of both Israel's and Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. The policy had been spelled out in a Pentagon document entitled Annex Foxtrot. Some estimate that Iraq sustained between 20,000 and 35,000 fatalities. The French proposal was supported by Belgium (at the moment one of the rotating Council members), Germany, Spain, Italy, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, and several non-aligned states. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: Operation Desert Shield, which marked the military buildup from August 1990 to January 1991; and Operation Desert Storm, which began with the aerial bombing campaign against Iraq on 17 January 1991 and came to a close with the American-led Liberation of Kuwait on 28 February 1991. [204][205] After 48 hours of combat the British 1st Armoured Division destroyed or isolated four Iraqi infantry divisions (the 26th, 48th, 31st, and 25th) and overran the Iraqi 52nd Armored Division in several sharp engagements. [87], On 6 August, Resolution 661 placed economic sanctions on Iraq. [282] A further 11 died in detonations of coalition munitions. [161] During the Iraqi mortar attacks two American soldiers were wounded. It sent a destroyer, ARA Almirante Brown (D-10), a corvette, ARA Spiro (P-43) (later replaced by another corvette, ARA Rosales (P-42)) and a supply ship, ARA Baha San Blas (B-4) to participate on the United Nations blockade and sea control effort of the Persian Gulf. On 2 August 1990, Iraq invaded the neighbouring State of Kuwait and had fully occupied the country within two days. [328] By that time, however, the fires had burned for approximately 10 months, causing widespread pollution. [170] The 1st Infantry Division cleared a zone between Phase Line Vermont and Phase Line Kansas. [331], The ODI factored in elements of "cost" which included oil imports, remittance flows, re-settlement costs, loss of export earnings and tourism. Operation Desert Storm was the codename for the US-led United Nations (UN) operation to liberate oil rich Kuwait from the invasion forces of Iraq. [197] Marine Reserve unit Bravo Company, 4th Tank Battalion, 4th Marine division was assigned to the 2nd Marine Division. Formerly covering an area of around 20,000km2 (7,700sqmi), the large complex of wetlands was 90% drained before the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. [citation needed] On 27 February, Saddam ordered a retreat from Kuwait,[citation needed] and President Bush declared it liberated. Simultaneously, the US XVIII Airborne Corps launched a sweeping "left-hook" attack across southern Iraq's largely undefended desert, led by the US 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment and the 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized). [313] Flight surgeon (later General) Rhonda Cornum was sexually assaulted by one of her captors[314] after the Black Hawk helicopter in which she was riding was shot down while searching for a downed F-16 pilot. [188] The primary American artillery system was the self propelled M109 howitzer. [322], Many international organizations such as the UN Human Rights Commission, the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, the Wetlands International, and Middle East Watch have described the project as a political attempt to force the Marsh Arabs out of the area through water diversion tactics. [191] Marine armor units mostly consisted of the older M-60 tank. [35] The Gulf War has gained notoriety for including three of the largest tank battles in American military history. [212] The Iraqi 52nd Armored Division was also a primary participant. We'd be running the country. Researchers found that infants born to male veterans of the 1991 war had higher rates of two types of heart valve defects. One Saudi civilian was killed, and 78 others were injured. This joint effort would become known as Task Force Iron. They'd already learned to scamper off into the desert when our aircraft started to attack. [327], The resulting fires burned uncontrollably because of the dangers of sending in firefighting crews. [238], Germany and Japan provided financial assistance[239] and donated military hardware, although they did not send direct military assistance. The Palestinians who fled Kuwait were Jordanian citizens. The US force destroyed military hardware and took prisoners, while suffering no casualties. Iraq fired eight missiles the next day. [158] Later that evening the Task Force received enemy artillery fire but suffered no casualties. [345] Both the US Army and the missile manufacturers maintained the Patriot delivered a "miracle performance" in the Gulf War. '"[298] However, after the war, the Iraqi government said that only 44 bodies were found. Your presence here, and in other places, is meant to prevent the scourge of war. [110], After stops in Helsinki and Moscow to smooth out Iraqi demands for a Middle-Eastern peace conference with the Soviet Union, Baker traveled to Syria to discuss its role in the crisis with its President Hafez Assad. A Palestinian exodus from Kuwait took place during and after the Gulf War. The continued presence of US troops in Saudi Arabia after the war was one of the stated motivations behind the 11 September terrorist attacks,[315] the Khobar Towers bombing, and the date chosen for the 1998 US embassy bombings (7 August), which was eight years to the day that US troops were sent to Saudi Arabia. This ultimately led to civilian casualties. Specific buildings in downtown Baghdad could be bombed while journalists in their hotels watched cruise missiles fly by. [86] The Arab states of Yemen and Jordan a Western ally which bordered Iraq and relied on the country for economic support[87] opposed military intervention from non-Arab states. [263] A figure was supported by Israeli sources who speak of "one to two hundred thousand Iraqi casualties." Initially, the French operated independently under national command and control, but coordinated closely with the Americans (via CENTCOM) and Saudis. [253], During the nationwide uprisings against the Ba'athist Iraqi government that directly followed the end of the Gulf War in March and April, an estimated 25,000 to 100,000 Iraqis were killed, overwhelmingly civilians. The British 1st Armoured Division had two brigades (the 4th and 7th) which participated in Operation Granby, the name given to the British military operations during the 1991 Gulf War. [citation needed], Since the war, the US has had a continued presence of 5,000 troops stationed in Saudi Arabia a figure that rose to 10,000 during the 2003 conflict in Iraq. [citation needed], International response to the crisis on developing states came with the channeling of aid through The Gulf Crisis Financial Co-ordination Group. Operation Granby was the code name for the operations in the Persian Gulf. The US also disliked Iraqi support for Palestinian militant groups, which led to Iraq's inclusion on the developing US list of State Sponsors of Terrorism in December 1979. In nearly two days of some of the war's most intense fighting, the British destroyed 40 enemy tanks and captured a division commander. This move was supported by the US, who believed that Iraqi ties with pro-Western Gulf states would help bring and maintain Iraq inside the US' sphere of influence. [201], The United Kingdom was represented by its 1st Armoured Division known as the Desert Rats. [323] It was reported as a deliberate natural resources attack to keep US Marines from coming ashore (Missouri and Wisconsin had shelled Failaka Island during the war to reinforce the idea that there would be an amphibious assault attempt). [183] In addition, the corps had the 2nd Cavalry Regiment (United States) to act as a scouting and screening force, and two further heavy divisions, the 1st Cavalry Division (United States) and the United Kingdom's 1st Armoured Division, as well as the U.S. 11th Aviation Group. The official communicated to the White House that Iraq would "withdraw from Kuwait and allow foreigners to leave" provided that the UN lifted sanctions, allowed "guaranteed access to the Persian Gulf through the Kuwaiti islands of Bubiyan and Warbah", and allowed Iraq to "gain full control of the Rumaila oil field that extends slightly into Kuwaiti territory". [citation needed], The air campaign's third and largest phase targeted military targets throughout Iraq and Kuwait: Scud missile launchers, weapons research facilities, and naval forces. [213] The Iraqi 10th and 12th Armored Divisions were also present. [71] The pre-war strength of the Kuwait Air Force was around 2,200 Kuwaiti personnel, with 80 fixed-wing aircraft and 40 helicopters. The plan was approved by President Reagan and later affirmed by the G7 leaders headed by the United Kingdom's Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, in the London Summit of 1984. In the end, however, many governments were persuaded by Iraq's belligerence towards other Arab states, offers of economic aid or debt forgiveness, and threats to withhold aid. [citation needed], Since Saudi Arabia houses Mecca and Medina, Islam's holiest sites, many Muslims were upset at the permanent military presence. Iraqi troops offered only light resistance. The conflict marked the introduction of live news broadcasts from the front lines of the battle, principally by the American network CNN. [citation needed], US policy regarding media freedom was much more restrictive than in the Vietnam War. CNN correspondents John Holliman and Peter Arnett and CNN anchor Bernard Shaw relayed audio reports from Baghdad's Al-Rashid Hotel as the air strikes began. [44] In March 1982, Iran began a successful counteroffensive (Operation Undeniable Victory), and the US increased its support for Iraq to prevent Iran from forcing a surrender. US Marines had to fight for hours before securing the airport, after which Kuwait was declared secure. Meanwhile, British forces attacked Iraq's Medina Division and a major Republican Guard logistics base. [318], On 6 August 1990, after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 661 which imposed economic sanctions on Iraq, providing for a full trade embargo, excluding medical supplies, food and other items of humanitarian necessity, these to be determined by the council's sanctions committee. [302] In 2013, 280,000 Jordanian citizens of Palestinian origin lived in Kuwait. [56] Saudi-backed development projects were hampered by Iraq's large debts, even with the demobilization of 200,000 soldiers. [51], Iraq also accused Kuwait of exceeding its OPEC quotas for oil production. [203], The British 1st Armoured Division was responsible for protecting the right flank of VII Corps. 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