Operation Desert Storm
Monday, June 8, 2020
In the past four decades there have been nearly a dozen and a half actions referred to as "gulf wars": actions around the Persian Gulf, which borders Iran (the former name of which, "Persia," gives the body of water its best-known name); an exclave of Oman; the United Arab Emirates; Saudi Arabia; Qatar; Kuwait; Iraq; and the island nation of Bahrain.
To distinguish it from these many other wars, strikes, insurgencies, and other conflicts, the January 1991 US-led invasion of Iraq, by a coalition of 35 countries, is usually referred to as "Operation Desert Storm."
In August of 1990 Saddam Hussein, the President of Iraq, greenlighted an invasion and occupation of neighboring Kuwait. Earlier in the year, Iraq had accused Kuwait of drilling at an angle to tap oil reserves located under Iraqi territory. After a two-day operation, Iraq declared that Kuwait was an Iraqi province.
The United Nations enacted economic sanctions against Iraq, against a background of wide public condemnation for Iraq's invasion. The UN also issued an ultimatum: Iraq was to restore Kuwaiti sovereignty. The deadline for withdrawal was set for January 15, 1991.
American President George H. W. Bush and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher began deploying troops into neighboring Saudi Arabia in preparation for a retaliatory strike, and urged other nations to do the same. This prelude is called "Operation Desert Shield."
The result was the largest military alliance to be assembled since World War II. The US led in numbers of troops, followed by Saudi Arabia, the UK, and Egypt, in that order. Kuwait and Saudi Arabia together contributed over 50% of the cost of the operation.
The Operation commenced on January 17, with a five-week aerial and naval bombardment, followed by a February 24 ground assault. Kuwait was liberated--but not before the Iraqis set fire to 600 Kuwaiti oil wells during their retreat. The coalition forces then advanced into Iraqi territory, where they stopped and held, declaring a cease-fire just 100 hours after the ground assault had begun.