Operation Desert Shield and Liberation of Kuwait

Operation Desert Shield dates

2 August 1990 - 16 January 1991

Desert Shield's scale

Saudi Arabia became the base for 34 nations; General Schwarzkopf commanded 1 million soldiers; the Arab League vote ensured regional troops; 157,000 troops, 4 hospitals, 350,000 tonnes of ammunition and 900 helicopters were deployed

Saudi Arabia and Bin Laden

Saudi Arabia refused the help of Osama Bin Laden, instead accepting US forces (deployed by 7 August); 'infidel' boots on the sacred lands of Mecca and Medina led Bin Laden to publicly criticise the decision, setting a path to 9/11

Iraq's annexation of Kuwait

8 August 1990: Iraq annexed Kuwait while Bush said US positioning in Saudi Arabia was "to assist government in defence of its homeland"; on 28 August Iraq declared Kuwait its 19th province ('Wilaya')

Resolution 678

Authorised "all means necessary" - Desert Storm would begin if Iraq did not withdraw in 45 days, by 15 January 1991

Operation Desert Storm dates

17 January 1991 - 28 February 1991

The air campaign

From 16 January, 6 weeks of air attack; 2,430 aircraft flew over 42 days, dropping 88,500 tonnes of bombs; 3 dozen Iraqi jets were shot down by US fighters with only 1 coalition loss

Air campaign targets and effects

Targeted Iraqi air force bases, military-industrial facilities, power stations and oil refineries; incapacitated the communication system and reduced the electrical supply by 75%; 2,280 civilians were killed and most cities were without electricity and running water

Operation Desert Sabre

The ground offensive (24-28 February), AKA the 100 hours war: 500,000 soldiers, 2,000 tanks and 2,000 armoured vehicles

The coalition deception plan

Convinced Iraqi defenders the main attack would be an amphibious assault from the sea, but the real attack came by land from Saudi Arabia

US technological superiority

13 US M1A1 Abrams destroyed 35 Iraqi tanks in 90 seconds; at the Battle of Medina Ridge (27 February), 300 Iraqi tanks were destroyed with only 4 US tanks damaged, because US tank guns had double the range

Highway of death

Thousands of Iraqis surrendered and attempted to flee on the road leading north from Kuwait to Basra

Limits of the ground advance

Flanking movements across the desert moved 500 km in four days but couldn't close in on Republican Guard forces

Operation Desert Farewell

28 February - sending troops home; Bush declared "we have achieved our military objective"

Casualty figures

292 coalition deaths; 10,000-30,000 Iraqis dead; 86,000-90,000 POWs

UN Resolution 687 ceasefire

3 April 1991 - Tariq Aziz accepted all 12 previous UN resolutions; demanded the "restoration of Kuwait of its sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity and the return of its legitimate government" [2981st meeting]

UN Resolution 833

27 May 1993 - formalised the border plus war reparations of $53 billion

Economic cost of the war

$620 billion financial cost to Arab countries; destruction of nearly all Iraqi refining capabilities; Kuwait lost 3% of its total reserves (3 billion barrels)