# Gulf War

| Gulf War |
| --- |
|  |
|

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| Date | 2 August 1990 – 28 February 1991 |
| Location | * Iraq
* Kuwait
* Saudi Arabia
* Persian Gulf
* Israel
 |
| Result |
Coalition victory |
| Territorial changes |
State of Kuwait resumes self-governance over all Kuwaiti sovereign territory
* Establishment of a demilitarized zone and construction of a separation barrier along the Iraq–Kuwait border
 |

 |
| Belligerents |
|  Kuwait  United States  United Kingdom
 Saudi Arabia  Egypt
 France

---

 Coalition:* Afghan mujahideen
* Argentina
* Australia
* Bahrain
* Bangladesh
* Belgium
* Canada
* Czechoslovakia
* Denmark
* Germany
* Greece
* Honduras
* Hungary
* Italy
* Japan
* Luxembourg
* Morocco
* Netherlands
* New Zealand
* Niger
* Norway
* Oman
* Pakistan
* Philippines
* Poland
* Portugal
* Qatar
* Romania
* Senegal
* Sierra Leone
* Singapore
* South Korea
* Spain
* Sweden
* Syria
* Turkey
* United Arab Emirates

---

**Diplomatic support:**
 Iran
 Soviet Union |  Iraq |
| Commanders and leaders |
| * George H. W. Bush
* Dick Cheney
* Colin Powell
* Norman Schwarzkopf
* Chuck Horner
* John J. Yeosock
* Walter E. Boomer
* Stanley R. Arthur
* John Major
* François Mitterrand
* King Fahd
* Khalid bin Sultan
* Hosni Mubarak
* Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmad
 | * Saddam Hussein
* Tariq Aziz
* Ali Hassan al-Majid
* Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri
* Iyad Futayyih
* Hussein Kamel al-Majid
* Abid Hamid Mahmud
* Muzahim Saab Hassan
* Salah Aboud Mahmoud
 |
| Strength |
|
956,600, including 700,000 US troops |
650,000 soldiers |
| Casualties and losses |
| * **Military dead: 1,000–2,000
* **Civilian dead: 500–1,000
 | * **Military dead: 80,000–100,000
* **Civilian dead: 5,000–7,000
 |

The **Gulf War** was a conflict between Iraq and 42 other countries, led by the United States. It started with Iraq's invasion of Kuwait on 2 August 1990. Iraq had claimed Kuwait as part of its territory. Iraq is said to have suffered around 80,000–100,000 soldier losses.

There were two military operations.

Operation Desert Shield brought Western troops to protect Dhahran, Saudi Arabia and the Arab Gulf states that Iraq had not attacked.

Operation Desert Storm attacked Iraq's forces both in Kuwait and in southern Iraq. It started on 17 January 1991 with an air strike on Baghdad. Ground operations started 24 February. Iraqi forces set fire to oil wells to slow the attack. The war ended on 28 February 1991 with a ceasefire.

The long Iran–Iraq War had ended in August 1988. Iraq owed a great amount of money to Saudi Arabia and had difficulty paying it back. Saddam Hussein declared the neighboring country of Kuwait to be siphoning Iraqi crude oil from across the border, and on 2 August 1990 the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait started. On 17 January 1991 the US began the Persian Gulf War with a massive US led air offensive known as Operation Desert Storm.

The attacks were assisted by newly developed weapons, including stealth aircraft, cruise missiles and smart bombs.

After 42 days of fighting U.S. President Bush declared a ceasefire on 28 February. By that time most Iraqi forces in Kuwait had either surrendered or fled.

Operation Desert Storm included a bombing campaign that targeted Iraqi aircraft, anti-aircraft systems, oil refineries, weapon factories, bridges, and roads. President George Bush decided not to depose Saddam Hussein.

Political issues after Operation Desert Storm lead to the second Persian Gulf War in 2003.

Medal for United States personnel.
## Related pages

* Iran-Iraq War
* 2003 invasion of Iraq