Gulf War

The Gulf War was a conflict between Iraq and 42 other countries, led by the United States. It started with the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq on 2 August, 1990. Iraq had claimed Kuwait as part of its territory. Iraq is said to have suffered around 80,000–100,000 soldier losses.^[4]

Gulf War
Date 2 August, 1990 – 28 February, 1991 Location Iraq Kuwait Saudi Arabia Persian Gulf Israel Result Coalition victory Territorial changes State of Kuwait resumes self-governance over all Kuwaiti sovereign territory Establishment of a demilitarized zone and construction of a separation barrier along the Iraq–Kuwait border
Belligerents
Kuwait  United States  United Kingdom  Saudi Arabia  Egypt  France Coalition: Afghan mujahideen[1]  Argentina  Australia  Bahrain  Bangladesh  Belgium  Canada Czechoslovakia  Denmark  Germany  Greece  Honduras  Hungary  Italy  Japan  Luxembourg  Morocco  Netherlands  New Zealand  Niger  Norway  Oman  Pakistan  Philippines  Poland  Portugal  Qatar  Romania  Senegal  Sierra Leone  Singapore  South Korea  Spain  Sweden  Syria  Turkey  United Arab Emirates Diplomatic support:  Iran  Soviet Union	Iraq
Commanders and leaders
George H. W. Bush Dick Cheney Colin Powell Norman Schwarzkopf Chuck Horner John J. Yeosock Walter E. Boomer Stanley R. Arthur John Major François Mitterrand King Fahd Khalid bin Sultan Hosni Mubarak Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmad	Saddam Hussein Tariq Aziz Ali Hassan al-Majid Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri Iyad Futayyih Hussein Kamel al-Majid Abid Hamid Mahmud Muzahim Saab Hassan Salah Aboud Mahmoud
Strength
956,600, including 700,000 US troops[2][3]	650,000 soldiers
Casualties and losses
Military dead: 1,000–2,000 Civilian dead: 500–1,000	Military dead: 80,000–100,000 Civilian dead: 5,000–7,000

There were two military operations.

Operation Desert Shield brought troops to protect Dhahran, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states that Iraq had not attacked.

Operation Desert Storm attacked Iraq's forces both in Kuwait and in Iraq. It started on 17 January 1991 with an air strike. Ground operations started 24 February. Iraqi forces set fire to oil wells to slow the attack. The war ended on 28 February 1991 with a ceasefire.^[5]

The long Iran–Iraq War had ended in August 1988. Iraq owed a great amount of money to Saudi Arabia and had difficulty paying it back. Saddam Hussein declared the neighboring country of Kuwait to be siphoning Iraqi crude oil from across the border, and on 2 August, 1990 the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait started. On 17 January, 1991 the US began the Persian Gulf War with a massive US led air offensive known as Operation Desert Storm.^[6]

The attacks were assisted by newly developed weapons, including stealth aircraft, cruise missiles and smart bombs.

After 42 days of fighting U.S. President Bush declared a ceasefire on 28 February. By that time most Iraqi forces in Kuwait had either surrendered or fled.

Operation Desert storm included a bombing campaign that targeted Iraqi aircraft, anti-aircraft systems, oil refineries, weapon factories, bridges, and roads. President George Bush decided not to depose Saddam Hussein.

Political issues after Operation Desert Storm lead to the second Persian Gulf War in 2003.

Medal for United States personnel.

Related pages

• Iran-Iraq War
• 2003 invasion of Iraq