War is intended to inflict death and destruction on the enemy.
In addition to the direct impact of weapons, war inevitably produces profound environmental damage, which in turn can influence human health during and after active military engagement. This can include breakdown of supplies of clean water and sewage disposal systems, chemical contamination of soil, widespread landmines and unexploded ammunition, as well as deliberate attempts to influence the environment such as destruction of dams and dikes, and the use of defoliants to destroy forests or food supply. A key military resource is fuel. A common military target is production, transport, and storage of petroleum products. An environmental disaster occurred at the end of the Persian Gulf War when the Iraqi troops damaged and set fire to over six hundred oil wells in Kuwait.