On this day: On August 2, 1990, at two o’clock in the night, Iraqi forces attacked the oil-rich neighboring country Kuwait (Iraq invades Kuwait).
A tank standing during the battle (File Photo)
The history of the Middle East has been in turmoil for a long time. Today is a very special day for the history of the Middle East, because it was because of this event that the First Gulf War started. On August 2, 1990, at two o’clock in the night, Iraqi forces attacked Kuwait, a small, oil-rich neighboring country adjacent to Iraq (Iraq invades Kuwait). The Kuwait Defense Forces could not handle the invasion of Iraq and fled to Saudi Arabia. The Emir of Kuwait, his family and other government leaders fled to Saudi Arabia. Within a few hours, Iraq captured Kuwait City. Simultaneously a provincial government was established.
By occupying Kuwait, Iraq gained control of 20 percent of the world’s oil reserves. In addition, it achieved a substantial coastline on the Persian Gulf for the first time. The same day, the United Nations Security Council unanimously condemned the invasion and called for Iraq’s immediate withdrawal from Kuwait. On 6 August the Security Council imposed a worldwide ban on trade with Iraq. On August 9, Operation Desert Shield began and the US Army began moving towards the Persian Gulf. Meanwhile, Saddam Hussein prepared three lakh soldiers in Kuwait.
Operation Desert Storm begins
On 29 November, the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution on the use of force against Iraq. It said that if Iraq did not withdraw by January 15, 1991, then weapons would be used against it. Iraq’s dictator Saddam Hussein refused to withdraw his army from Kuwait. At the same time, seven lakh soldiers reached the Middle East, in which a large number of American soldiers. Operation Desert Storm started on 16 January 1991. A major war started in Iraq under the leadership of America. America’s first fighter jet launched the attack from Saudi Arabia.
25 thousand Iraqi soldiers killed in war
148 American soldiers were killed and 457 wounded in the Persian Gulf War. Around 100 soldiers of the coalition forces combined were killed during Operation Desert Storm. At the same time, there are no official figures for the number of Iraqi casualties. But it is believed that 25 thousand Iraqi soldiers died in this war, while more than 75 thousand soldiers were injured. In this way it became one of the most one-sided military conflicts in history. It is estimated that 100,000 Iraqi civilians died from wounds directly caused by the Persian Gulf War or from lack of adequate water, food and medical supplies.
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