military forces toPanama to protect the lives of American citizens and bring General Noriega tojustice. By February 13, 1990, all the invasion forces had beenwithdrawn.[RL30172] Around 200 Panamanian civilians were reported killed. ThePanamanian head of state, General Manuel Noriega, was captured and brought tothe U.S.199019991990 Liberia: OnAugust 6, 1990, President Bush reported that a reinforced rifle company hadbeen sent to provide additional security to the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia, andthat helicopter teams had evacuated U.S. citizens from Liberia.[RL30172]1990 Saudi Arabia:On August 9, 1990, President Bush reported that he launched Operation DesertShield by ordering the forward deployment of substantial elements of the U.S.armed forces into the Persian Gulf region to help defend Saudi Arabia after theAugust 2 invasion of Kuwait by Iraq. On November 16, 1990, he reported thecontinued buildup of the forces to ensure an adequate offensive militaryoption.[RL30172]American hostages being held in Iran.[RL30172] Staging point forthe troops was primarily Bagram air field.1991 Iraq andKuwait: Gulf War, On January 16, 1991, in response to the refusal by Iraq toleave Kuwait, U.S. and Coalition aircraft attacked Iraqi forces and militarytargets in Iraq and Kuwait in conjunction with a coalition of allies and underUnited Nations Security Council resolutions. On February 24, 1991, U.S.-ledUnited Nation (UN) forces launched a ground offensive that finally drove Iraqiforces out of Kuwait within 100 hours. Combat operations ended on February 28,1991, when President Bush declared a ceasefire.[RL30172]199196 Iraq:Operation Provide Comfort, Delivery of humanitarian relief and militaryprotection for Kurds fleeing their homes in northern Iraq during the 1991uprising, by a small Allied ground force based in Turkey which began in April1991.1991 Iraq: On May17, 1991, President Bush stated that the Iraqi repression of the Kurdish peoplehad necessitated a limited introduction of U.S. forces into northern Iraq foremergency relief purposes.[RL30172]1991 Zaire: OnSeptember 2527, 1991, after widespread looting and rioting broke out inKinshasa, Air Force C-141s transported 100 Belgian troops and equipment intoKinshasa. American planes also carried 300 French troops into the CentralAfrican Republic and hauled evacuated American citizens.[RL30172]1992 Sierra Leone:Operation Silver Anvil, Following the April 29 coup that overthrew PresidentJoseph Saidu Momoh, a United States European Command (USEUCOM) Joint Special OperationsTask Force evacuated 438 people (including 42 Third Country nationals) on May3. Two Air Mobility Command (AMC) C-141s flew 136 people from Freetown, SierraLeone, to the Rhein-Main Air Base in Germany and nine C-130 sorties carriedanother 302 people to Dakar, Senegal.[RL30172]199296 Bosnia andHerzegovina: Operation Provide Promise was a humanitarian relief operation inBosnia and Herzegovina during the Yugoslav Wars, from July 2, 1992, to January9, 1996, which made it the longest running humanitarian airlift in history.[9]1992 Kuwait: OnAugust 3, 1992, the United States began a series of military exercises inKuwait, following Iraqi refusal to recognize a new border drawn up by theUnited Nations and refusal to cooperate with UN inspection teams.[RL30172]19922003 Iraq: Iraqino-fly zones, The U.S., United Kingdom, and its Gulf War allies declared andenforced "no-fly zones" over the majority of sovereign Iraqiairspace, prohibiting Iraqi flights in zones in southern Iraq and northernIraq, conducting aerial reconnaissance, and several specific attacks on Iraqiair-defense systems as part of the UN mandate. Often, Iraqi forces continuedthroughout