First Gulf War Timeline

1992-

JAn

1990-

JAn

Allied Bombardment of Iraq begins

Battle of Al-Khafji

1991-

Jan

Saddam Hussein moves forces to border

• The UN deadline time had ran out and Iraq had not complied to their rules
• January 17th 1991, 555,000 troops arrived- composed of mainly US troops but also Western European troops and Arab troops
• The Allies had hoped that this would pose as a big enough threat and Saddam would leave Kuwait, however Saddam was overconfident and didn't leave
• Operation Dessert Shield soon transformed to Operation Dessert Storm and the attack on Iraq in Kuwait had began. The operation included two parts- an air bombardment on Iraq as a nation and a ground war against the Iraqi Army

• January 29- February 1 1991
• This was the first major ground battle of the First Gulf War. The battle took place in Al-Khafji, Syria
• Saddam had ordered the invasion of the city from Southern Kuwait and originally captured the city, providing him with propaganda
• However the US and Saudi Arabia retaliated and recaptured the city within 3 days by using ground forces and air forces
• The battle showed how air forces can be very impactful in a war situation

• July 15th 1990
• The situation with Kuwait intensified, Iraq accused them of stealing 2 billion dollars worth of oil from Rumaila oil field which Iraq claimed as theirs
• Saddam also claimed that Kawait's unwillingness to dissolve the debts from the Iraq-Iran War classified as military aggression and Kuwait was stabbing them in back
• Saddam them backed up his verbal attacks and moved the Republic Guard divisions- causing a military threat

UN deadline IMposed

• The UN for the first time had the support of both world super powers (US and USSR).
• They tried to initially establish a deadline for Iraq to leave Kuwait
• On November 29th 1990, with Iraq still not complying the UN's demands they imposed Resolution 678
• Resolution 678 stated that if Iraq did not leave Kuwait by January 15th 1991, any country could use any means necessary to attack Kuwait
• This action also showed the all too real possibility that the UN could not stop every war

UN Security Council 1990

JULY

Mar

nov

SEp

MAr

May

MAy

JUly

sep

NOV

Land Campaign starts

Kuwait City is Liberated

• February 27th 1991
• Due to the tough land campaign with the combination of the earlier air attacks, all Iraqi forces were surrounded
• President George Bush, then announced that Kuwait City was liberated and soon made the announcement that all of Kuwait had been liberated

Iraq invades Kuwait

• February 24th 1991
• With the use of air power, Iraqi forces (including their troops and fortifications) had been severely damaged and lead to the start of a land attack/ campaign
• When the attack came it quickly succeeded in driving the Iraqi forces out of Iraq
• Different groups attacked the Iraqi from all angles
• On the 24th, the US marines and Saudi task force attacked from the East and made quick advances, while the French and US attacked from the West
• On 25th-26th the US, Saudi Arabia and Egypt had surrounded Kuwait city

US troops and Aircrafts deploy to Saudia Arabia

UN resolution Ends the First Gulf War

• August 2nd 1990
• Saddam met with the US ambassador and got the impression the US/ the world would not get involved if they attacked Kuwait
• Under that impression Saddam launched the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait
• With more than 100,000 soldiers, and 2000 tanks, Iraq appeared unstoppable and the Kuwaiti royal family fled Kuwait
• Eventually on August 28th, Kuwait would be declared as the 19th providence of Iraq

• August 7th 1990
• Saddam had miscalculated the USA's response, the attack left Iraq with to much control over oil and left the possibility open for an attack on Saudi Arabia- The US's ally in the middle east
• Saudi Arabia began letting US forces gather in their country as a part of operation Dessert Shield

• Ultimately the Allies stopped short of invading Iraq. This is because an attack on Iraq could have divided the UN with the Arab Countries
• The war did succeed in the sense that Iraq left Kuwait and power was restored to Kuwait's royal family. It also was a result of what the UN Security Council had wanted
• However this war didn't really change situations in the middle east as Saddam remained in power

Feb

Saddam Hussein, Money and Kuwait

Apr

OCT

Aug

OCt

Dec

June

Dec

June

Aug

Apr

• Background: In 1979 Saddam Hussein had gained control and became President of Iraq. Due to a new leader in Iran tensions worsened between Iraq and Iran causing a 8 year long war. During the war Iraq borrowed and went into debt with Kuwait, France, USA and Russia
• Iraq attempted to not pay back Kuwait, claiming they were protecting them in the War with Iran
• Kuwait did not agree with Iraq and demanded they pay them the debt they owned
• This action developed tensions between Iraq and Kuwait

Feb

Saddam Hussein in 1979

Sources

First Gulf War Timeline

The First Gulf War - Short History - Department History - Office of the

Historian. Retrieved from https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/short-history/firstgulf

Operation Desert Storm: 25 Years Since the First Gulf War - The

Atlantic. Retrieved from

https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2016/01/operation-desert-storm-25-years-since-the-first-gulf-war/424191/

Persian Gulf War | 1990-1991 | Britannica.com. Retrieved from

https://www.britannica.com/event/Persian-Gulf-War

Rogers, K. & Thomas, J. (2015). Causes and Effects of 20th Century

Wars. London, UK: Pearson Education Limited.

By: Alyssa Mencel