Gulf War

The Gulf War was an armed conflict between Iraq and a 42-country coalition led by the United States in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait on 2 August 1990. The coalition's efforts were carried out in two phases: Operation Desert Shield, which marked the military buildup in the Persian Gulf region from August 1990 to January 1991; and Operation Desert Storm, which began with the bombing campaign against Iraq on 17 January and continued until the liberation of Kuwait on 28 February. Iraq's invasion of Kuwait was met with immediate international condemnation as well as unanimous resolutions by the UN Security Council, which demanded Iraq's immediate withdrawal on the day of the invasion and authorized a total embargo four days later. The ensuing assembly of the coalition involved the participation of 42 countries, making it the broadest military alliance since World War II, with its largest contributors being the US, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, and Egypt. On 29 November 1990, the Security Council issued an ultimatum empowering UN member states to use "all necessary means" to end the occupation of Kuwait if the country was not completely free of Iraqi forces by 15 January 1991. Two days after the deadline, on 17 January, the coalition began an aerial and naval bombardment of Iraq and Iraqi-occupied Kuwait, continuing this campaign for five weeks. Iraq responded through a series of missile attacks against Israel and then against Saudi Arabia, although this campaign failed to achieve its goal of convincing Muslim-majority states to rescind their support for the coalition. On 24 February 1991, the coalition launched a decisive ground offensive into occupied Kuwait and subsequently into Iraqi territory, thereafter declaring a ceasefire within 100 hours. In the war's aftermath, the Iraqi government violently suppressed a series of internal uprisings until 5 April 1991. Coalition countries responded by establishing dual no-fly zones covering Iraq's northern and southern halves. The UN Special Commission sought to end Iraq's weapons-of-mass-destruction programs. In 2003, another US-led coalition invaded and occupied Iraq, beginning the Iraq War. The conflict's environmental impact included Iraqi forces causing over six hundred oil well fires and the largest oil spill in history until that point. US bombing and demolition of Iraqi chemical weapons facilities were concluded to be the primary cause of Gulf War syndrome, experienced by over 40% of US veterans. The conflict introduced live news broadcasts from the front lines of the battle, principally by American network CNN. It earned the nickname "Video Game War", after the daily broadcast of images from cameras onboard American military aircraft. The war highlighted new military technologies including military satellites, precision-guided munitions and a stealth aircraft, the F-117 Nighthawk. The largest tank battles in American military history were also fought, surpassed only by the Battle of the Bulge: the Battle of Medina Ridge, the Battle of Norfolk, and the Battle of 73 Easting.

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