Topic > The Persian Gulf War: Its Origins and How It Happened

The Persian Gulf WarTrouble in Iraq began in 1979 when Saddam Hussein took control of Iraq. In 1991, Saddam Hussein started the Persian Gulf War by invading Kuwait. He accused Kuwait of stealing oil from the Rumain oil field. The crisis continued in August when Iraq, led by Saddam Hussein, invaded Kuwait. The United Nations set a deadline of January 15, 1991 for the withdrawal of all Iraqi forces from Kuwait, but Saddam ignored the deadline. In January 1991, approximately 500,000 allied land, air and naval forces from the United States, Saudi Arabia, Great Britain, Egypt, Syria and France faced 540,000 Iraqi soldiers. Allied forces continued their air and ground attack until Iraq began to retreat. On March 3, 1991, Iraqi representatives accepted Allied terms of a provisional truce and signed a permanent ceasefire on April 6, 1991 and agreed to pay damages to Kuwait. By accepting the ceasefire, they also agreed to destroy their weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles with a range exceeding 150 kilometers and to destroy the facilities producing them. It also calls for a United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) to ensure that Iraq complies with UN resolutions. This would be done by UNSCOM which investigates and inspects weapons facilities. A United Nations peacekeeping team known as UNIKOM also stepped in to guard the Iraq-Kuwait border. Additionally, international forces have established a no-fly zone in northern and southern Iraq. The UN trade embargo remained in place after the war. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay In June 1993, the United States launched a missile attack on Iraq in retaliation for a reported plot against former President George Bush. In October 1994, the United States, with help from Britain and France, sent some 40,000 troops and more than 600 aircraft in response to the buildup of Iraqi troops along the border with Kuwait. Shortly thereafter, Iraqi soldiers were withdrawn from the borders. In November 1994, Saddam Hussein signed a decree formally accepting Kuwait's sovereignty. In 1995 and 1996 the Iraqi economic crisis (resulting from trade sanctions) continued to worsen. The United Nations has voted unanimously to sell limited quantities of oil to meet urgent humanitarian needs. Saddam Hussein's interference with UN weapons inspectors nearly brought Iraq into another military crisis in early 1998. However UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan negotiated a deal that averted an attack military by the United States and its allies. Iraq continues to interfere with United Nations weapons inspectors, and on December 16, 1998, U.S. and British forces launched a four-day series of airstrikes on Iraq to punish them for failing to cooperate with United Nations weapons inspectors. United Nations. , Iraq occupied Kuwait. A few days later, the UN Security Council instituted economic sanctions against Iraq. On November 22, 1990, the Security Council passed Resolution 678, giving Iraq until January 15, 1991, to withdraw from Kuwait. If Iraq did not comply, the Kuwaiti government would be authorized to use "all necessary means" to uphold the council's resolutions. This led to the Persian Gulf War in which Iraqi troops were defeated. On 3 April 1991 the Security Council adopted resolution 687 which)..