Persian Gulf War Intro

Send to friendPDF version

The Persian Gulf War, also known as the Gulf War is also known as the mother of all battles (Um Al Mā'arik) Ar: ام المعارك in Iraq:

The Persian Gulf War international conflict was triggered by Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait on August 2, 1990.

The Gulf war started when Iraq’s leader, Saddam Hussein, ordered the invasion of Kuwait with the goal of acquiring its large oil reserves, canceling a large debt Iraq owed to Kuwait. It also wanted to expand Iraqi power in the middle east.
 

On August 3 the United Nations Security Council called for Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait, and on August 6 the council imposed a worldwide ban on trade with Iraq. (The Iraqi government responded by formally occupying Kuwait on August 8.)

Iraq’s invasion and the potential threat it then posed to Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil producer and exporter, prompted the United States and its western European NATO allies to rush troops to Saudi Arabia to deter a possible attack.

The Persian Gulf War began on January 16–17, 1991, with a massive U.S.-led air offensive against Iraq that continued throughout the war. By mid February the allies had shifted their air attacks to Iraq’s forward ground forces in Kuwait and southern Iraq, destroying their fortifications and tanks.

Finally, the terms of the peace were that Iraq recognizes Kuwait’s power and that it deprives itself of all weapons of mass destruction and all long range missiles.