"[332], Newspapers all over the world also covered the war and Time magazine published a special issue dated 28 January 1991, the headline "War in the Gulf" emblazoned on the cover over a picture of Baghdad taken as the war began. [117], The US and the UN gave several public justifications for involvement in the conflict, the most prominent being the Iraqi violation of Kuwaiti territorial integrity. Their air support consisted of Gazelle helicopters, used for reconnaissance, and the Lynx helicopter which was comparable to the American AH-1 Cobra. On 24 February, British and American armored forces crossed the IraqKuwait border and entered Iraq in large numbers, taking hundreds of prisoners. Israel prepared to militarily retaliate, as its policy for the previous 40 years had always been retaliation. [citation needed], Within hours of the invasion, Kuwait and US delegations requested a meeting of the UN Security Council, which passed Resolution 660, condemning the invasion and demanding a withdrawal of Iraqi troops. The operation began on 7 August 1990, when US troops were sent to Saudi Arabia, due also to the request of its monarch, King Fahd, who had earlier called for US military assistance. Fleeing soldiers were bombed with a device known as a 'fuel-air explosive. The Saudi government issued all its citizens and expatriates with gas masks in the event of Iraq using missiles with warheads containing chemical weapons. [citation needed], On 25 February 1991, Iraqi forces fired a Scud missile at an American barracks in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. [citation needed], Global Positioning System (GPS) units were relatively new at the time and were important in enabling coalition units to easily navigate across the desert. [148], On 29 January, Iraqi forces attacked and occupied the lightly defended Saudi city of Khafji with tanks and infantry. According to John Childs and Andr Corvisier, a low estimate shows the Iraqi Army capable of fielding 4,500 tanks, 484 combat aircraft and 232 combat helicopters. "Without electricity, hospitals cannot function, perishable medicines spoil, water cannot be purified and raw sewage cannot be processed,". These defensive positions were occupied by a brigade-sized element. Deep Dish Television compiled segments from independent producers in the US and abroad, and produced a 10-hour series that was distributed internationally, called The Gulf Crisis TV Project. "[66], According to Glaspie's own account, she stated in reference to the precise border between Kuwait and Iraq, "that she had served in Kuwait 20 years before; 'then, as now, we took no position on these Arab affairs'. [citation needed] As part of a scorched earth policy, they set fire to nearly 700 oil wells and placed land mines around the wells to make extinguishing the fires more difficult. The US force destroyed military hardware and took prisoners, while suffering no casualties. Furthermore, it was determined that a prolonged war in the region would induce much higher oil prices and threaten the fragile recovery of the world economy, which was just beginning to gain momentum. It has been suggested that the sturdy construction techniques used in Israeli cities, coupled with the fact that Scuds were only launched at night, played an important role in limiting the number of casualties from Scud attacks. The missiles were fired at both military and civilian targets. 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. Other bombs included cluster bombs, which disperse numerous submunitions,[341] and daisy cutters, 15,000-pound bombs which can disintegrate everything within hundreds of yards. The Gulf War began with an extensive aerial bombing campaign on 16 January 1991. [189] The U.S. Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II ground attack aircraft would distinguish itself during the Gulf War, inflicting significant damage on Iraqi ground forces. [137] Approximately 230 Israelis were injured. The Coalition campaign that began in January 1991 opened with five weeks of air strikes that attacked both strategic targets and tactical units. Some escaped to be killed or captured by other coalition forces. [172] In the process of clearing the bunkers, Task Force 1-41 captured two brigade command posts and the command post of the Iraqi 26th Infantry Division. [citation needed], In coalition-occupied Iraqi territory, a peace conference was held where a ceasefire agreement was negotiated and signed by both sides. By February 27, talk had turned toward terminating the hostilities. Eventually, privately contracted crews extinguished the fires, at a total cost of US$1.5billion to Kuwait. 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. [197] Marine Reserve unit Bravo Company, 4th Tank Battalion, 4th Marine division was assigned to the 2nd Marine Division. President Bush then repeated the incubator allegations on television. British Army regiments (mainly with the 1st Armoured Division), Royal Air Force, Naval Air Squadrons and Royal Navy vessels were mobilized in the Persian Gulf. [328] By that time, however, the fires had burned for approximately 10 months, causing widespread pollution. [citation needed], During the late 1990s, the UN considered relaxing the sanctions imposed because of the hardships suffered by ordinary Iraqis. SEATTLE -- A strong line of thunderstorms developed over Western Washington, bringing frequent lightning, heavy rains, flooding, and hail to the Puget Sound region Saturday evening and knocking . [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. [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. [64], It was revealed during Saddam Hussein's 2003-2004 interrogation following his capture that in addition to economic disputes, an insulting exchange between the Kuwaiti emir Al Sabah and the Iraqi foreign minister - during which Saddam claimed that the emir stated his intention to turn "every Iraqi woman into a $10 prostitute" by bankrupting the country - was a decisive factor in triggering the Iraqi invasion.[65]. [213] The Iraqi 10th and 12th Armored Divisions were also present. [citation needed], After the invasion, the Iraqi military looted over $1 billion in banknotes from Kuwait's Central Bank. In 1991, Keith Robinson, a tall, mixed-race Celtic fan from the West End of Glasgow, threw a party in an old railway tunnel. The Marines destroyed 30 to 40 Iraqi T-72 tanks which had taken up defensive positions around the airport. He combined the language of the Islamist groups that had recently fought in Afghanistan with the rhetoric Iran had long used to attack the Saudis. (The full declassified presentation can be seen here:[83]) The conclusions were threefold: first, oil stocks needed to be increased among members of the International Energy Agency and, if necessary, released early if the oil market was disrupted; second, the United States needed to beef up the security of friendly Arab states in the region; and third, an embargo should be placed on sales of military equipment to Iran and Iraq. [208], Iraq was represented mostly by its own VII Corps and its Jihad Corps. Throughout the war, footage of incoming missiles was broadcast almost immediately. [264] At least 605 Kuwaiti soldiers were still missing 10 years after their capture. These systems provided essential communications links between air, ground, and naval forces. From 1991 until 2003, the effects of government policy and sanctions regime led to hyperinflation, widespread poverty and malnutrition. The policy had been spelled out in a Pentagon document entitled Annex Foxtrot. [citation needed], In the United Kingdom, the BBC devoted the FM broadcast portion of its national talk radio station BBC Radio 4 to an 18-hour rolling news format called Radio 4 News FM. [152] Other sources consider the Battle of Norfolk the largest tank battle of the war and the second largest tank battle in American history. [216] [73] According to Michael Knights, a high estimate shows the Iraqi Army capable of fielding one million troops and 850,000 reservists, 5,500 tanks, 3,000 artillery pieces, 700 combat aircraft and helicopters; it held 53 divisions, 20 special-forces brigades, and several regional militias, and had a strong air defense. Some of the copiers contained concealed high-tech transmitters that revealed their positions to American electronic warfare aircraft, leading to more precise bombings. [84][clarification needed][85] On 3 August 1990, the Arab League passed its own resolution, which called for a solution to the conflict from within the league, and warned against outside intervention. A 1991 report by Middle East Watch said that at least one Saudi civilian was killed after they were hit by Iraqi shelling in Riyadh. [56] Saudi-backed development projects were hampered by Iraq's large debts, even with the demobilization of 200,000 soldiers. [87], On 6 August, Resolution 661 placed economic sanctions on Iraq. On the day before the ground invasion began, the World Bank gave Iran the first loan of $250m. This policy was heavily influenced by the military's experience with the Vietnam War, in which public opposition within the US grew throughout the war's course. Imagine a surrealistic painting by Salvador Dal". [135][136], The Scud missiles targeting Israel were relatively ineffective, as firing at extreme range resulted in a dramatic reduction in accuracy and payload. 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. [190] The Tawakalna Republican Guard Division was Iraq's most powerful division which included approximately 14,000 soldiers, 220 T-72 tanks, 284 infantry fighting vehicles, 126 artillery pieces, and 18 MLRS. The two divisions formed the foundation of the Jihad Corps. Once special operations were combined with air patrols, the number of attacks fell sharply, then increased slightly as Iraqi forces adjusted to coalition tactics. 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