Sadam Huisein's Invasion of Kuwait Led to Operation Desert Storm in the Gulf War

Operation Desert Storm

The Gulf War, also known as Operation Desert Storm, the Persian Gulf War, The First Gulf War or The Kuwait War. Was a war that started 2 August 1990 when Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. The war lasted to 28. February 1991, when President Bush declared a ceasefire. The war ended unofficially the 26th, when the Iraqi troops started to withdraw from Kuwait, after finishing their mission. The Coalition air forces continued to follow and bomb the Iraqi troops, even after the retreat started. They kept killing Iraqi troops, and a Highway 8 became known as the “Highway of Death”.

The Background

Why did Iraq, led by Saddam Hussein invade Kuwait?

In August 1988, the war between Iran and Iraq ended, but they still had to negotiate a permanent peace treaty. When their foreign ministers met in Geneva, July 1990, it looked like they finally would come to an agreement. It also looked like Saddam Hussein were ready to dissolve the conflict and return Iranian territory they had occupied.

Only two weeks later Hussein held a speech, where he accused the neighbor, Kuwait, for draining oil from the Ar-Rumaila oil fields, this was an oil field located along the border, and was a part of both countries. He accused Saudi Arabia and Kuwait for conspiring to keep the prices of oil low to pamper the western oil-buying nations. In addition to Hussein’s speech, the Iraqi troops had already started to gather along the border of Kuwait, ready to invade. President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt was alarmed by this, and started negotiations between the two parts to try to avoid nasty things to happen, and to keep the US from getting involved, but after only two hours, he had to give up, and on August 2 1990, he ordered the invas...

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...orm Saudi Arabia to Kuwait and southern parts of Iraq. The next four days the coalition troops liberated Kuwait and defeated the Iraqi troops. At the same time the US forces counter-attacked Iraq and stormed into Iraq, destroying their armored reserved. Bush declared the ceasefire on February 28, when the Iraqi resistance was about to collapse. According to the peace terms, Hussain had to agree to. Iraq would recognize Kuwait’s sovereignty. They would also get rid of their biological, chemical and nuclear weapons. They estimate that 8-10000 Iraqi soldiers died, while the coalition lost about 300.

Aftermath

Even though the invasion seemed like it succeeded, internal conflicts in the troubled regions led to the Iraq War that began in 2003, also known as the second Gulf War.

American involvement

Consequences?

Effects today?

Crop, environment, health…