The Gulf War (2 August 1990 - 28 February 1991), codenamed Operation Desert Shield (August 2, 1990 - January 17, 1991) for operations leading to a buildup of troops and defense of Saudi Arabia and the Operation of Desert Storms (January 17, 1991 - February 28, 1991) in its combat phase, is a war waged by coalition forces from 35 countries led by the United States against Iraq in response to the Iraq invasion and Kuwait annexation.
War is also known by other names, such as Persian Gulf War, First Gulf War, Gulf War I, Kuwait War , First Iraq War or Iraq War , before the term "Iraq War" was identified with the 2003 Iraq War (also referred to in the US as "Operation Iraqi Freedom"). The occupation of the Iraqi army against Kuwait that began on 2 August 1990 was met with international condemnation and brought direct economic sanctions against Iraq by UN Security Council members. Together with British prime minister Margaret Thatcher (who had fiercely resisted the invasion by Argentina from the Falkland Islands a decade earlier), George Bush deployed US troops to Saudi Arabia, and urged other countries to send their own troops to the scene. Various nations joined the coalition, forming the largest military alliance since World War II. Most of the coalition military forces are from the US, with Saudi Arabia, Britain and Egypt as major contributors, in that order. Kuwait and Saudi Arabia pay about US $ 32 billion from the cost of US $ 60 billion.
The war was marked by the introduction of live news broadcasts from the front lines of the battle, mainly by the US network CNN. The war also earned the nickname of War Video Game after daily broadcast images from cameras on US bomber aircraft during Operation Desert Storm.
The initial conflict to expel Iraqi forces from Kuwait began with air and sea bombings on January 17, 1991, continuing for five weeks. This was followed by a ground attack on 24 February. This was a decisive victory for coalition forces, which liberated Kuwait and advanced into Iraq. The coalition halted its progress and announced a 100-minute ceasefire after the land campaign began. Air and land battles are limited in Iraq, Kuwait, and areas on the border of Saudi Arabia. Iraq launches SCUD missiles against coalition military targets in Saudi Arabia and against Israel.
Video Gulf War
Terminology
The following names have been used to describe the conflict itself:
- Gulf War and Persian Gulf War have become the most common terms for conflicts used in western countries. The problem with these terms is its use is unclear, as it has now been applied to at least three conflicts: see Gulf War (disambiguation). The use of the term Persian Gulf (in contrast to Arabian Gulf ) is also disputed: see the Persian Gulf naming dispute. With no naming consensus, various publications have sought to improve the name. Some variants include:
- Gulf War (eg Gulf War , BBC television series, 2005; Modern Conflicts: Gulf War , Discovery Channel DVD set, 2010)
- Persian Gulf War (eg Persian Gulf War Encyclopedia , Mark Grossman, 1995; Persian Gulf War Operations Analysis , US Army War College , 2016)
- Gulf War (1990-1991) (eg Gulf War 1991 (Important History) , Alastair Finlan, 2003; Gulf War, 1990-91 , William Thomas Allison, 2012)
- First Gulf War (to distinguish it from the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the subsequent Iraq War) (eg Gulf War One: Real Voice of the Front Line, Hugh McManners, 2010)
- Second Bay War (to distinguish it from the Iran-Iraq War) (eg Iraq and the Second Gulf War: State Building and Regime Security, Mohammad-Mahmoud Mohamedou, 1997 )
- Kuwait liberation (Arabic: ????? ?????? ?) ( ta? r? r al-kuwayt ) is a term used by Kuwait and most of the Arab coalition countries, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.
- Other language terms including French: la Guerre du Golfe and German: Golfkrieg ( Gulf War ); Germany: Zweiter Golfkrieg ( Second Gulf War ); France: Guerre du KoweÃÆ'¯t ( Kuwait War )
- Mother of all battles (Arabic: ???????? ?) ( umm al-ma''rik ) is a term derived from Saddam Hussein (eg. Mother of All Battles: Saddam Hussein's Strategic Plan for the Persian Gulf War, Kevin M. Woods, 2008).
Operation name
Most coalition countries use various names for their operations and operational phases of war. This is sometimes incorrectly used as the overall name of the conflict, especially the US Desert Storm :
- Desert Operation is the name of US operations for the buildup of US forces and defense of Saudi Arabia from 2 August 1990, to 16 January 1991.
- Desert Storm Operations is the US name of the air conflict from January 17, 1991, to April 11, 1991.
- Desert Saber Operation (initial name Desert Sword Operation ) is the US name for air strikes against the Iraqi Army at the Kuwaiti Theater of Operations ("100 hours of war ") from 24-28 February 1991, in itself, part of the Operation Desert Storm .
- Operation Desert Farewell is the name given to return US units and equipment to the US in 1991 after the liberation of Kuwait, sometimes referred to as Operation Desert Calm .
- Granby Operation is the English name for British military activities during operations and conflicts.
- Opà © ration Daguet is the French name for the French military activities in the conflict.
- Friction Operation is the name of the Canadian operation
- Operazione Locusta (Italian for Locust) is the Italian name for operations and conflicts.
Campaign name
The US divided the conflict into three major campaigns:
- Defense of Saudi Arabia for the period August 2, 1990, until January 16, 1991.
- Kuwait Liberation and Defense for the period January 17, 1991, until April 11, 1991.
- The rise of the Southwest Asia Earthquake for the period April 12, 1991, to November 30, 1995, including Operation Provide Comfort .
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Throughout the Cold War, Iraq has become an ally of the Soviet Union, and there is a history of friction between it and the United States. The US is concerned about Iraq's position on Israeli-Palestinian politics. The US also disliked Iraq's support for many Arab and Palestinian militant groups such as Abu Nidal, which led to Iraqi inclusions on the growing US list of Sponsors of Terrorism Countries on December 29, 1979. The US remained officially neutral after Iraq's invasion of Iran in 1980. , which became the Iran-Iraq War, despite providing resources, political support, and some "non-military" aircraft to Iraq. In March 1982, Iran embarked on a successful counterattack (Operation Undeniable Victory), and the United States stepped up its support for Iraq to prevent Iran from imposing surrender. In a US effort to open full diplomatic relations with Iraq, the country was removed from the State Sponsors list of US Terrorism. This may be due to improvements in the regime's record, although former US Defense Assistant Noel Koch later stated: "No one doubts [Iraqis] continue to engage in terrorism... The real reason is to help them succeed in the war against Iran." Iraq's newfound success in the war, and Iran's rejection of a peace offer in July, arms sales to Iraq reached a record surge in 1982. When Iraqi President Saddam Hussein drove Abu Nidal to Syria at the request of the US in November 1983, Reagan administration sent Donald Rumsfeld to meet with Saddam as a special envoy and build relationships. By the time a ceasefire with Iran was signed in August 1988, Iraq was heavily heavily indebted and the tensions in society increased. Most of the debt is to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Iraq pressured the two countries to forgive the debt, but they refused.
The Iraq-Kuwait dispute also involves Iraq's claim to Kuwait as an Iraqi territory. Kuwait has become part of the Ottoman province of Basra, something Iraq claims to make it a legitimate region of Iraq. The ruling dynasty, the al-Sabah family, had completed a protocolate treaty in 1899 that assigned responsibility for its foreign affairs to England. Britain withdrew the border between the two countries in 1922, making Iraq almost landlocked. Kuwait rejected Iraq's efforts to secure further provisions in the region.
Iraq also accuses Kuwait of exceeding OPEC quotas for oil production. In order for the cartel to maintain the desired price of $ 18 per barrel, discipline is required. The United Arab Emirates and Kuwait consistently produce excessively; the latter at least in part to correct the losses caused by the Iranian attack in the Iran-Iraq War and to pay for the losses of the economic scandal. The result is a deterioration in oil prices - as low as $ 10 per barrel - with a loss of $ 7 billion per year to Iraq, similar to a balance of payments deficit in 1989. Earning revenues are struggling to support the government's basic costs, let alone repair damaged Iraqi infrastructure. Jordan and Iraq are both seeking more discipline, with little success. The Iraqi government described it as a form of economic warfare, claimed to be aggravated by the wasted Kuwait across the border into the Iraqi Rumaila field. At the same time, Saddam sought closer ties with the Arab countries that had supported Iraq in the war. This is supported by the US, who believes that Iraq's relations with pro-Western Gulf countries will help bring and defend Iraq within the sphere of US influence.
In 1989, it appeared that Saudi-Iraqi relations, which were strong during the war, would be preserved. A non-intervening and non-aggression treaty was signed between countries, followed by Kuwait-Iraq deal for Iraq to supply Kuwait with water for drinking and irrigation, although demand for Kuwait to hire Iraq's Umm Qasr was denied. Saudi-backed development projects are hampered by Iraq's huge debt, even with the demobilization of 200,000 troops. Iraq is also looking to increase arms production to become an exporter, although the success of these projects is also limited by Iraq's obligations; in Iraq, hatred over OPEC controls is rising.
Iraq's ties with its Arab neighbors - especially Egypt - were degraded by escalating violence in Iraq against expatriate groups, who worked well during the war, by Iraqi unemployed, among them demobilized soldiers. These events attracted little attention outside the Arab world because of the fast-moving events directly linked to the fall of communism in Eastern Europe. However, the United States began to denounce Iraq's human rights record, including the use of the famous torture. Britain also condemned the execution of Farzad Bazoft, a journalist working for the British newspaper The Observer . Following Saddam's statement that "binary chemical weapons" would be used on Israel if using military force against Iraq, Washington halted some of its funding. A UN mission to Israeli-occupied territory, where unrest has resulted in Palestinian deaths, vetoed by the United States, makes Iraq highly skeptical of US foreign policy objectives in the region, combined with US dependence on Middle East energy reserves.
In early July 1990, Iraq complained about Kuwaiti behavior, such as disrespecting their quota, and openly threatening to take military action. On the 23rd, the CIA reported that Iraq had displaced 30,000 troops to the Iraqi-Kuwait border, and the US naval fleet in the Persian Gulf became alert. Saddam believes the anti-Iraq conspiracy is developing - Kuwait has started talks with Iran, and Syrian Iraqi rivals have arranged a visit to Egypt. After being questioned by the Minister of Defense, it was found that Syria was planning attacks against Iraq in the coming days. Saddam immediately used funding to include central intelligence into Syria and ultimately prevent future airstrikes. On July 15, 1990, Saddam's government placed a joint complaint against the Arab League, including that policy measures cost $ 1 billion per year, that Kuwait still uses the Rumaila oil field, that loans made by the UAE and Kuwait can not be considered a debt to his "Arab brethren". He threatened forces against Kuwait and the UAE, saying: "The policies of some Arab rulers are Americans... They are inspired by America to undermine Arab interests and security." The United States sent airborne refueling planes and combat vessels to the Persian Gulf in response to these threats. The discussions in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, mediated on behalf of the Arab League by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, were held on July 31 and led Mubarak to believe that a peace course could be established.
On the 25th, Saddam met April Glaspie, the US ambassador to Iraq, in Baghdad. The Iraqi leader attacked US policy on Kuwait and the UAE:
So what does it mean when America says it will now protect its friends? It can only mean prejudice against Iraq. This attitude plus the maneuvers and statements that have been made have encouraged the UAE and Kuwait to ignore Iraq's rights... If you use pressure, we will exert pressure and strength. We know you can harm us even if we do not threaten you. But we can also hurt you. Everyone can cause danger according to their ability and size. We can not come all the way to you in the United States, but certain Arabs can reach you... We do not put America in between enemies. We put it where we want our friends to be and we try to be friends. But the American statement repeated last year made it clear that America did not regard us as friends.
Glaspie menjawab:
I know you need funds. We understand that and our opinion is that you should have the opportunity to rebuild your country. But we have no opinion about the Arab-Arab conflict, such as your border disagreement with Kuwait... Frankly, we can only see that you have deployed a large army to the south. Usually it will not be our business. But when this happens in the context of what you say on your national day, then when we read the details in two letters of Foreign Affairs, then when we look at the Iraqi viewpoint that the actions taken by the UAE and Kuwait are, in the last analysis, parallel to military aggression against Iraq, it is natural for me to worry.
Saddam declared that he would try his final negotiations with Kuwait but Iraq "will not accept death."
According to Glaspie's personal account, he states in reference to the exact border between Kuwait and Iraq, "... that he had served in Kuwait 20 years earlier;" then, as now, we are not taking a position on this Arab affair. "Glaspie believe that war will not happen.
Invasion of Kuwait
The result of the Jeddah talks was Iraq's request of $ 10 billion to cover lost income from Rumaila; Kuwait offers $ 9 billion. The Iraq response was to immediately order the invasion, which began on August 2, 1990 with the bombing of the Kuwaiti capital, Kuwait City.
At the time of the invasion, the Kuwaiti military was believed to have numbered 16,000 people, organized into three mechanical infantry troops and one artillery brigade under force. The Kuwaiti Air force's pre-war force is about 2,200 Kuwaiti personnel, with 80 fixed wing aircraft and 40 helicopters. Apart from the crackling Iraqi saber, Kuwait does not mobilize its strength; the army was suspended on July 19, and at the time of the Iraqi invasion many Kuwaiti military personnel were on leave.
In 1988, at the end of the Iran-Iraq war, the Iraqi Army was the fourth largest army in the world; it consists of 955,000 standing troops and 650,000 paramilitary troops in the People's Army. According to John Childs and Andrà ©  © Corvisier, low estimates suggest the Iraqi Army was able to degrade 4,500 tanks, 484 combat aircraft, and 232 combat helicopters. According to Michael Knight, high estimates suggest the Iraqi Army is capable of deploying one million people and 850,000 reserve troops, 5,500 tanks, 3,000 artillery, 700 fighters and helicopters; and held 53 divisions, 20 special forces brigades, and several regional militias, and had strong air defenses.
Iraqi commandos infiltrated the first Kuwaiti border to prepare the main units that started the attack at midnight. The Iraqi invasion has two branches, with the main attack force driving south directly to Kuwait City on the main highway, and the strength of supporter attacks enter Kuwait further west, but then turns and drives east, cuts Kuwait City from the southern part of the country. The commander of Kuwait's armored battalion, the 35th Armored Brigade, mobilized them to attack Iraq and was able to perform strong defenses at the Battle of the Bridges near Al Jahra, west of Kuwait City.
The Kuwaiti aircraft rushed to meet the invaders, but about 20% were missing or caught. Some attacks were suddenly flown against Iraqi land forces.
Iraq's main push to Kuwait City was carried out by commandos deployed by helicopters and boats to attack the city from the sea, while another division seized the airport and two air bases. The Iraqi people attacked the Dasman Palace, the Royal House of Kuwait, Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, defended by Garda Emiri backed by an M-84 tank. In the process, the Iraqis killed Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir's youngest brother.
Within 12 hours, most of the resistance had ended in Kuwait and the royal family had fled, leaving Iraq controlling most of Kuwait. After two days of fierce fighting, most of the Kuwaiti military was ruled by the Iraqi Republican Guard, or fled to Saudi Arabia. The Emir and the main ministers can exit and head south along the highway to take refuge in Saudi Arabia. Iraqi ground forces consolidated their control of Kuwait, then headed south and made landfall along the Saudi border. After Iraq's decisive victory, Saddam originally installed a puppet regime known as "Free Kuwait Interim Government" before installing his cousin Ali Hassan al-Majid as governor of Kuwait on 8 August.
After the invasion, the Iraqi army looted more than $ 1,000,000,000 in banknotes from the Kuwaiti Central Bank. At the same time, Saddam Hussein made the Kuwaiti Dinar the same as the Iraqi Dinar, degrading the Kuwaiti currency to half of its original value. In response, Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah decided that the paper money was invalid and refused to replace the stolen banknotes, which became worthless because of the UN embargo. After the conflict ended, a lot of stolen banknotes returned to the circulation. Today, stolen banknotes are collectibles for numismatics.
Kuwait Resistance Movement
Kuwait established a local armed resistance movement after the occupation of Iraq over Kuwait. The level of victims of Kuwaiti resistance far exceeds the military forces of the coalition and Western hostages. Resistance mainly consists of ordinary citizens who have no form of training and supervision.
Run to war
Diplomatic means
The key element of the US military's political and military economic planning took place in early 1984. The Iran-Iraq war had lasted for five years at the time and there were many casualties on both sides, reaching hundreds of thousands. In the concern of the National Security Council President Ronald Reagan developed that the war could spread beyond the borders of both warring parties. A meeting of the National Security Planning Group was formed, headed by Vice President George Bush to review US options. It was determined that there is a high probability that the conflict will spread to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries, but that the United States has little ability to defend the territory. Furthermore, it is stipulated that the prolonged war in the region will push up much higher oil prices and threaten the fragile recovery of the world economy that is just beginning to gain momentum. On May 22, 1984, President Reagan was briefed on the conclusions of the project in the Oval Office by William Flynn Martin, who served as NSC chief of staff who organized the research. Unclassified full presentation can be seen here. The conclusion is threefold: first oil stocks need to be upgraded among members of the International Energy Agency and, if necessary, released early in the event of disruption of the oil market; the two United States needs to improve the security of the friendly Arab states in the region and all three embargos should be placed on the sale of military equipment to Iran and Iraq. The plan was approved by President Reagan and later confirmed by G-7 leaders led by British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher at the London Summit in 1984. The plan was implemented and became the basis for the US's readiness to respond to the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait in 1991.
Within hours of the invasion, Kuwait and the US delegation called for a UN Security Council meeting, which passed Resolution 660, condemned the invasion and demanded the withdrawal of Iraqi forces. On 3 August, the Arab League issued its own resolution, which called for a solution to the conflict from within the league, and warned against outside intervention; Iraq and Libya are the only two Arab League countries to oppose a resolution for Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait. The PLO opposes it too. The Arab states of Yemen and Jordan - Western allies bordering Iraq and dependent on the state for economic support - are opposed to military intervention from non-Arab countries. The Sudanese Arab state is allied with Saddam.
On August 6, Resolution 661 placed economic sanctions on Iraq. Resolution 665 immediately followed, which legitimized the sea blockade to impose sanctions. It is said that "the use of measures commensurate with special circumstances that may be required... to stop all maritime shipping in and out to check and verify their cargo and destinations and to ensure the strict implementation of resolution 661."
The US government was initially hesitant with the "retaliation... attitude of the invasion and even adaptation to it as a fait accompli" until British prime minister Margaret Thatcher played a strong role, reminding the President that the dwindling of the 1930s had led to the war , that Saddam would have the entire Gulf at his mercy along with 65 percent of the world's oil supplies, and famously urged President Bush to be "unshakable".
Once convinced, US officials insisted Iraq's total withdrawal from Kuwait, unrelated to other Middle East issues, accepts Britain's view that the concessions will strengthen Iraq's influence in the region for years to come.
On August 12, 1990, Saddam "proposed [d] that all occupation cases, and cases that have been described as occupations, in this region, were solved simultaneously". In particular, he called on Israel to withdraw from the occupied territories in Palestine, Syria, and Lebanon, Syria to withdraw from Lebanon, and "a joint withdrawal by Iraq and Iran and arrangements for the situation in Kuwait." He also called for the replacement of US troops mobilized in Saudi Arabia in response to the invasion of Kuwait with "Arab forces", as long as the troops did not involve Egypt. In addition, he called for "immediate freezing of all boycott decisions and siege" and the general normalization of relations with Iraq. Since the beginning of the crisis, President Bush has been strongly opposed to the "link" between Iraq's occupation of Kuwait and the Palestinian issue.
On August 23, Saddam appeared on state television with Western hostages who denied his visa. In the video, he asked a young Englishman, Stuart Lockwood, did he get his milk, and went on to say, through his translator, "We hope that your presence as a guest here will not be too long.Your presence here, others, intended to prevent the whip of war. "
Another Iraqi proposal communicated in August 1990 was sent to US National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft by an unnamed Iraqi official. The official communicated to the White House that Iraq would "withdraw from Kuwait and allow foreigners to leave" provided the UN lifted sanctions, allowed "guarantees access to the Persian Gulf via Kuwaiti islands of Bubiyan and Warbah", and allowed Iraq to "earn full control of the Rumaila oil field that extends slightly into the territory of Kuwait ". The proposal also "includes [d] offers to negotiate an oil deal by satisfying the United States' for the national security interests of the two countries, 'developing a joint plan' to alleviate Iraq's economic and financial problems and 'jointly working on the stability of the abyss.'"
In December 1990, Iraq made a proposal to withdraw from Kuwait as long as foreign troops left the area and that agreement was reached on the issue of Palestine and the demolition of weapons of mass destruction of Israel and Iraq. The White House rejected the proposal. Yasser Arafat of the PLO stated that both he and Saddam insist that settling the Israeli-Palestinian issue should be a prerequisite for solving the problems in Kuwait, although he acknowledges a "strong relationship" between these issues.
In the end, the United States and Britain remain in their position that there will be no negotiations until Iraq withdraws from Kuwait and that they should not give Iraqi concessions, lest they give the impression Iraq benefits from its military campaign. Also, when US Secretary of State James Baker met Tariq Aziz in Geneva, Switzerland, for last minute peace talks in early 1991, Aziz reportedly made no concrete proposals and did not elaborate on the hypothetical steps of Iraq.
On 29 November 1990, the Security Council passed Resolution 678 which gave Iraq until January 15, 1991 to withdraw from Kuwait and empower countries to use "all necessary means" to force Iraq out of Kuwait after the deadline.
On January 14, 1991, France proposed that the UN Security Council call for a "rapid and big withdrawal" from Kuwait along with a statement to Iraq that Council members would bring their "active contribution" to solving other problems in the region, "in particular, of the Arab-Israeli conflict and in particular the Palestinian issue by holding, at an appropriate time, an international conference "to ensure" the security, stability and development of this world's territory. "The French proposal is supported by Belgium (currently one of the rotating Council members) Germany, Spain, Italy, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and some non-aligned countries. The United States, Britain and the Soviet Union rejected it; US Ambassador to the UN Thomas Pickering declared that the French proposal was unacceptable, as it surpassed previous Council resolutions on the Iraq invasion. France dropped this proposal when it found "no real signs" from Baghdad.
Military means
One of the main concerns of the West is the significant threat posed by Iraq to Saudi Arabia. After the conquest of Kuwait, the Iraqi Army was within close proximity of the Saudi oil field. Control of these areas, together with Kuwait and Iraq reserves, will give Saddam control over most of the world's oil reserves. Iraq also has a number of complaints with Saudi Arabia. The Saudis have lent Iraq about 26 billion dollars during its war with Iran. The Saudis had supported Iraq in the war, because they feared the influence of the Shiite Islamic revolution in Shiite minority itself. After the war, Saddam felt he did not have to repay the loan because of the assistance he gave to the Saudis by fighting Iran.
Immediately after his conquest against Kuwait, Saddam began verbally attacking Saudis. He argues that the US-backed Saudi state is an illegitimate and unworthy guardian of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. He combines the language of Islamic groups who recently fought in Afghanistan with the rhetoric that Iran has long used to attack the Saudis.
Acting under Carter's Doctrine policy, and fearing that the Iraqi Army could launch an invasion of Saudi Arabia, US President George W. Bush soon announced that the US would launch a "fully defensive" mission to prevent Iraq from invading Saudi Arabia under Operation codename Desert Shield. The Desert Shield operation began on August 7, 1990 when US troops were deployed to Saudi Arabia as well as at the request of the king, King Fahd, who had previously requested US military assistance. This "fully defensive" doctrine was quickly abandoned when, on August 8, Iraq declared Kuwait as Iraq's 19th province and Saddam named his cousin Ali Hassan Al-Majid, his military governor.
The US Navy dispatched two naval combat groups built around USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and Independence aircraft carriers to the Persian Gulf, where they were ready on 8 August. The US also sent USS Missouri and USS Wisconsin warships to the area. A total of 48 F-15 US Air Forces from the First Fighter Wing at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, landed in Saudi Arabia, and immediately started a round of Saudi-Kuwait-Iraq border airborne hour patrol to prevent further Iraqi military progress. They joined 36 F-15 A-D from the 36th Tactical Combat Wing in Bitburg, Germany. The Bitburg contingent is based in Al Kharj Air Base, about an hour southeast of Riyadh. The 36th polling station will be responsible for 11 confirmed Iraqi Air Force aircraft shot down during the war. There are also two units of the Air National Guard stationed at Al Kharj Air Base, South American Air Force Combat Aircraft 169 which flew a bomb mission with 24 F-16s flying 2,000 combat missions and dropping 4 million pounds of ammunition, and the New York Air National Guard's Fighter Wing to 174 from Syracuse flying 24 F-16 on bombing missions. The military buildup continued from there, eventually reaching 543,000 troops, twice the amount used in the 2003 Iraq invasion. Most of the material was flown or taken to the staging area via a sealift vessel quickly, allowing rapid buildup.
Creating a coalition
A series of UN Security Council resolutions and Arab League resolutions were passed related to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. One of the most important was Resolution 678, adopted on 29 November 1990, which gave Iraq the withdrawal deadline until January 15, 1991, and authorized "all the means necessary to enforce and implement Resolution 660", and a diplomatic formulation authorizing the use of force if Iraq fails to comply.
To ensure economic support, Baker went on an 11-day trip to nine countries dubbed "The Tin Cup Trip" press. The first stop was Saudi Arabia, which a month earlier had granted permission to the United States to use its facilities. However, Baker believes that Saudi Arabia, a very rich country, should bear some of the cost of military efforts, because one of the most important military goals is to defend Saudi Arabia. When Baker asked King Fahd for $ 15 billion, the King immediately agreed, with the promise that Baker asked Kuwait for the same amount.
The next day, September 7, he did so, and the Emir of Kuwait, evacuating at the Sheraton hotel outside the country he attacked, easily agreed. Baker then moved to enter talks with Egypt, whose leadership he regarded as "Middle East's moderate voice". President Mubarak of Egypt was very furious with Saddam because of his invasion of Kuwait, and the fact that Saddam had convinced Mubarak that the invasion was not his intention. Therefore, he is willing to conduct coalition forces to quell Saddam, and the relief of the United States is willing to forgive his country's 7.1 billion debt.
After stopping in Helsinki and Moscow to smooth Iraq's demands for a Middle East peace conference with the Soviet Union, Baker traveled to Syria to discuss his role in the crisis with his President Hafez Assad. Assad has a deep personal animosity towards Saddam, which is defined by the fact that "Saddam tried to kill him [Assad] for years". In response to this hostility and impressed with Baker's diplomatic initiatives to visit Damascus (the relationship has been severed since the 1983 bombing of the US Marines barracks in Beirut), Assad agreed to promise up to 100,000 Syrian troops for coalition efforts. This is an important step in ensuring the Arab countries are represented in the coalition.
Baker flew to Rome for a short visit with the Italians where he was promised the use of some military equipment, before traveling to Germany to meet with American ally Chancellor Kohl. Although the German constitution (essentially mediated by the United States) prohibits military involvement in foreign countries, Kohl is willing to return his gratitude to the United States by donating two billion dollars to coalition war effort, as well as further economic and military. support of Turkish coalition allies, and the implementation of the transport of Egyptian armies and ships to the Persian Gulf.
A coalition of forces opposed to Iraqi aggression was formed, composed of troops from 34 countries: Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, France, Greece, Italy, Kuwait, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Niger, Norway , Oman, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Spain, Syria, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the US itself. It was the largest coalition since World War II. US Army General Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr. was appointed commander of coalition forces in the Persian Gulf region. The Soviet Union also supported US intervention.
Although they did not donate any power, Japan and Germany contributed $ 10 billion and $ 6.6 billion respectively. US troops represent 73% of the 956,600 coalition troops in Iraq.
Many of the coalition countries are reluctant to conduct military forces. Some people feel that war is an internal Arab affair or does not want to increase US influence in the Middle East. Ultimately, however, many countries are persuaded by Iraq's aggressive stance against other Arab countries, the offer of economic aid or debt forgiveness, and the threat of withholding aid.
Justification for intervention
The United States and the UN provide some public justification for engagement in the conflict, the most prominent of which is Iraq's violation of Kuwaiti's territorial integrity. In addition, the United States moves to support its Saudi ally, whose interests in the region, and as a major supplier of oil, makes it very geopolitically important. Shortly after the invasion of Iraq, US Defense Secretary Dick Cheney made the first visit of several visits to Saudi Arabia where King Fahd requested US military assistance. During a speech at a special US Congressional session given on September 11, 1990, US President George Bush summed up his argument with the following statement: "Within three days, 120,000 Iraqi troops with 850 tanks have been poured into Kuwait and moved south to threaten Saudi Arabia. that's why I decided to act to check that aggression. "
The Pentagon states that satellite photographs showing the buildup of Iraqi forces along the border are the source of this information, but these are then suspected to be false. A reporter for St. The Petersburg Times acquired two images of the Soviet commercial satellites made at the time, which showed nothing but an empty desert.
Other justifications for foreign involvement include Iraq's history of human rights violations under Saddam. Iraq is also known to have biological weapons and chemical weapons, which Saddam used against Iranian forces during the Iran-Iraq War and against his country's own Kurdish population in the Al-Anfal campaign. Iraq is also known to have a nuclear weapons program, but reports of it from January 1991 were partially declassified by the CIA on May 26, 2001.
Despite human rights abuses committed in Kuwait by the invading Iraqi army, the most widely publicized alleged incidents in the US are the invention of public relations firms hired by the Kuwaiti government to influence US opinion in favor of military intervention. Shortly after the invasion of Iraq to Kuwait, the organization of Citizens for Free Kuwait was formed in the US. He hires public relations firm Hill & amp; Knowlton is about $ 11 million, paid for by the Kuwaiti government.
Among other ways to influence US opinion, such as distributing books about Iraqi atrocities to US troops deployed in the region, "Free Kuwait" t-shirts and speakers to campuses, and dozens of video newscasts to television stations, the company set up for an appearance in front of a group of US congressmen in which a woman who identifies herself as a nurse working in a Kuwaiti City hospital described Iraqi soldiers pulling babies out of incubators and letting them die on the floor.
The story was an influence in tipping the public and Congress against the war with Iraq: six members of Congress said enough testimony for them to support military action against Iraq and seven Senators referred to testimony in the debate. The Senate supported military action in 52-47 votes. However, a year after the war, this allegation was revealed to be a formation. The woman who has testified was found to be a member of the Royal Family of Kuwait, actually the daughter of Kuwait's ambassador to the United States. He did not live in Kuwait during the invasion of Iraq.
Hill Details & amp; Knowlton's public relations campaign, including an incubator's testimony, was published in John R. MacArthur's Second Front: Censorship and Propaganda in the Gulf War (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1992), and came to widespread public attention when Op-ed by MacArthur was published at The New York Times . This prompted a reexamination by Amnesty International, which initially promoted an account that alleged that more babies were torn from the incubator than the original false testimony. Having found no evidence to support it, the organization issued a retraction. President Bush then repeated the allegations of incubators on television.
At the same time, the Iraqi Army committed several well documented crimes during its occupation in Kuwait, such as the summary executions without trial of the three brothers after which their bodies were stacked in piles and left to rot on public roads. Iraqi forces also searched and looted private Kuwaiti houses; one of the repeated residents defecate. One resident then commented: "All is violence for violence, destruction for destruction... Imagine a surrealistic painting by Salvador DalÃÆ'".
Initial battle
Air campaign
The Gulf War began with an extensive air bombing campaign on January 16, 1991. For 42 consecutive days and nights, coalition forces made Iraq one of the most intensive air bombings in military history. The coalition flew more than 100,000 attacks, dropped 88,500 tons of bombs, and widely destroyed military and civilian infrastructure. The air campaign was ordered by ASF Lieutenant General Chuck Horner, who briefly served as Commanders of the US-led Command Center while General Schwarzkopf was still in the US.
The day after the deadline set out in Resolution 678, the coalition launched a massive air campaign, which started a general offensive under the code name Operation Desert Storm. The first priority is the destruction of the Iraqi Air Force and anti-aircraft facilities. This confinement was launched mostly from Saudi Arabia and six carrier battle groups (CVBG) in the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea.
The next target is the command and communication facilities. Saddam Hussein had radically controlled forces in Iraq in the Iran-Iraq War, and initiatives to a lesser extent were discouraged. Coalition planners hope that the Iraqi resistance will quickly collapse if it loses command and control.
The third and largest stages of air campaign target military targets across Iraq and Kuwait: Scud missile launchers, weapons research facilities, and the navy. About a third of the coalition's air forces are devoted to attacking Scuds, some of which are in trucks and therefore difficult to find. US and UK special operations troops are covertly inserted into western Iraq to aid in the search and destruction of the Scud.
Iraqi anti-aircraft defense, including portable air defense systems, is surprisingly ineffective against enemy aircraft and the coalition suffered only 75 aircraft lost in over 100,000 attacks, 44 due to the actions of Iraq. Two of these losses are the result of the plane colliding with the ground while avoiding Iraqi ground weapons. One of these losses is a confirmed air-air victory.
Iraqi missile shots attack Israel and Saudi Arabia
The Iraqi government has made no secret that it will attack if it is attacked. Before the war began, after unsuccessful US-Iraqi peace negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland, a reporter asked the English-speaking Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz: "Minister of Foreign Affairs, if the war starts... will you attack? "The answer is:" Yes, of course, yes. "
Five hours after the first attack, Iraqi state radio broadcasts stated that "The dawn of victory is approaching when this great fight begins." Iraq fired eight missiles the next day. These missile attacks continued throughout the war. A total of 88 Scud missiles were fired by Iraq during the seven weeks of the war.
Iraq hopes to provoke a military response from Israel. The Iraqi government hopes that many Arab countries will withdraw from the Coalition, as they will be reluctant to fight with Israel. Following the first attack, Israeli Air Force jets were deployed to patrol the northern airspace with Iraq. Israel is prepared to retaliate militarily, as its policies for the past 40 years have always been revenge. However, President Bush presses Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir to not retaliate and remove Israeli jets, worried that if Israel attacks Iraq, other Arab countries will leave the coalition or join Iraq. It is also feared that if Israel used Syrian or Jordanian airspace to attack Iraq, they would intervene in the war on the side of Iraq or attack Israel. The coalition promised to deploy Patriot missiles to defend Israel if refrained from responding to Scud attacks.
Scud missiles targeting Israel are relatively ineffective, as shooting at extreme distances results in dramatic reductions in accuracy and payload. According to Jewish Virtual Library, a total of 74 Israelis were killed by the onslaught of Iraq: two direct people and the rest from suffocation and heart attack. About 230 Israelis were wounded. Extensive property damage is also caused, and according to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, "General property damage consists of 1,302 houses, 6,142 apartments, 23 public buildings, 200 stores and 50 cars." It is feared that Iraq will fire missiles filled with nerve agents like sarin. As a result, the Israeli government issued a gas mask to its citizens. When the first Iraqi missiles attacked Israel, some people injected themselves with an antidote for nerve gas. It has been argued that the solid construction techniques used in Israeli towns, coupled with the fact that the Scud was only launched at night, played an important role in limiting the number of victims from Scud attacks.
In response to the Scuds threat against Israel, the United States quickly dispatched the Patriot missile defense artillery battalion to Israel along with two MIM-104 Patriot missile batteries to protect civilians. The Royal Netherlands Air Force also deployed Patriot missile squadrons to Israel and Turkey. The Dutch Defense Ministry later stated that the military use of the Patriot missile system was largely ineffective, but the psychological value for the affected population was high.
Coalition air forces were also extensively carried out in the "Scud hunt" in the Iraqi desert, trying to find disguised trucks before they fired their missiles into Israel or Saudi Arabia. In the field, special operations forces also infiltrated Iraq, which was tasked to locate and destroy the Scud. After a special operation combined with air patrols, the number of attacks fell sharply, then increased slightly as Iraqi forces adjusted to coalition tactics.
As the Scud attacks continue, Israel is increasingly impatient, and is considered to take unilateral military action against Iraq. On January 22, 1991, a SCUD missile struck the Israeli town of Ramat Gan, after two Patriot coalitions failed to intercept him. Three elderly people suffered a fatal heart attack, 96 others were injured, and 20 apartment buildings damaged. After this attack, Israel warned that if the US fails to stop the attacks, they will. At one point, Israeli commandos boarded a helicopter prepared to fly to Iraq, but the mission was canceled after a phone call from US Defense Secretary Dick Cheney, reporting on the extent of coalition efforts to crush the Scud and stressed that Israeli intervention could harm US troops..
In addition to attacks on Israel, 47 SCUD missiles were fired into Saudi Arabia, and one missile was fired at Bahrain and another missile in Qatar. The missiles were fired on military and civilian targets. A Saudi civilian was killed, and 78 others were wounded. No casualties were reported in Bahrain or Qatar. The Saudi government releases all its citizens and expatriates with gas masks on Iraqi events using missiles with chemical or biological warheads. The government broadcast warnings and 'all clear' messages via television to alert people during the Scud attack.
On February 25, 1991, a Scud missile struck a US Army barrack from the 14th Quartermaster Detachment, out of Greensburg, Pennsylvania, stationed in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, killing 28 soldiers and wounding more than 100 soldiers.
Iraqi invasion of Saudi Arabia (Battle of Khafji)
On January 29, Iraqi forces attacked and occupied the city of Khafji in Arabia with tanks and infantry. The battle of Khafji ended two days later when Iraq was pushed back by the Saudi National Guard, backed by Qatari and US Marines. The allied forces used extensive artillery fire.
Both sides suffered casualties, although Iraqi forces were substantially more dead and arrested than the allied forces. Eleven Americans were killed in two separate friendly fire incidents, an additional 14 US soldiers were killed when their AC-130 guns were shot down by Iraqi surface-to-air missiles, and two US soldiers were arrested during the fighting. Saudi and Qatar troops have a total of 18 people killed. Iraqi forces in Khafji have 60-300 people killed and 400 arrested.
The battle of Khafji is an example of how air power can block enemy ground forces. After studying the movement of Iraqi forces, 140 coalition aircraft were diverted to attack the forward column consisting of two armored divisions in battalion-sized units. Precision stand-off attacks are performed at night and until the next day. Iraqi vehicle losses include 357 tanks, 147 armored personnel carriers, and 89 artillery pieces. Some crew abandoned their vehicles so realizing that they could be destroyed with guided bombs without warning, stopping divisions from gathering for organized attacks in the city. An Iraqi soldier, who has fought in the Iran-Iraq War, said his brigade "has been getting more punishment from an allied air force within 30 minutes at Khafji than in eight years of fighting against Iran."
Counter reconnaissance
Task Force 1-41 The Infantry is a heavy battalion task force of the 2nd Armored Division (Front). That is the spearhead of Corps VII. It consists mainly of Battalion 1, 41st Infantry Regiment, 3rd Battalion, 66th Steel Regiment, and 4th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment. Task Force 1-41 was the first coalition troops to breach the Saudi border on 15 February 1991 and conduct ground combat operations in Iraq engaged in direct and indirect fire fighting with the enemy on 17 February 1991. Shortly after arriving at the Task Force 1 -41 Infantry received a counter-surveillance mission. 1-41 Infantry assisted by 1st Squadron, 4th Armored Cavalry Regiment. This joint effort will be known as the Task Force Iron. Counter-reconnaissance generally includes destroying or repelling enemy scout elements and denying their commander any friendly troop observations. On February 15, 1991, the 4th Battalion of the 3rd Field Artillery Regiment opened fire on a trailer and several trucks in the Iraqi sector observing American troops. On February 16, 1991 several groups of Iraqi vehicles were seen doing reconnaissance on Task Force and expelled by fire from 4-3 FA. Other enemy platons, including six vehicles, are reported to be in the northeast of the Task Force. They were involved with artillery fire from 4-3 FA. Later that night a group of other Iraqi vehicles were seen moving toward the Task Force center. They seem to be BTR and Soviet-made tanks. For the next hour, the Task Force conducted several small battles with Iraqi surveillance units. TF 1-41 IN fired a TOW missile at an Iraqi formation that destroyed one tank. The rest of the formation was destroyed or propelled by artillery fire from 4-3 FA. On February 17, 1991, the Task Force took enemy mortar fire, but the enemy troops managed to escape. Later that night the Task Force received enemy artillery fire but did not suffer casualties.
Violation
Task Force 1-41 Infantry was the first coalition troops to breach the Saudi border on 15 February 1991 and conduct ground combat operations in Iraq engaged in direct and indirect fire fighting with the enemy on 17 February 1991. Before this action, the Task Force of the aid battalion the 4th Battalion's main shooter from the 3rd Field Artillery Regiment participated in massive artillery preparations. About 300 weapons from different countries participate in artillery attacks. Over 14,000 rounds will be fired during this mission. M270 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems contributed an additional 4,900 rockets fired to Iraqi targets. Iraq lost nearly 22 battalion artillery during the early stages of this attack. This includes the destruction of about 396 pieces of Iraqi artillery pieces. At the end of this raid, the Iraqi artillery assets ceased to exist. One Iraqi unit totally destroyed during the preparations was the 48th Infantry Division Artillery Division of Iraq. The group commander declared that his unit lost 83 of its 100 weapons to artillery preparations. These artillery preparations are equipped with air strikes by B-52 bomber aircraft and Lockheed AC-130 fixed wing fighter. The 1st Apache Infantry Division of the Apache Helicopter and the B-52 bomber carried out a raid against Iraq's 110th Infantry Brigade. The 1st Engineer Battalion and 9th Engineer Battalion mark and prove an attack path under direct and indirect enemy fire to secure a foothold in enemy territory and pass the 1st Armored Division and 1st Armored Division England. On 24 February 1991 the 1st Cavalry Division performed several artillery missions against the Iraqi artillery unit. An artillery mission struck a series of Iraqi bunkers, powered by an Iraqi T-55 tank, in Iraq's 25th Infantry Division sector. On the same day, 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division with 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry, 1st Battalion, 32nd Armor, and 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry destroyed Iraqi bunkers and combat vehicles in the sector Iraq's 25th Infantry Division. On February 24, 1991, the 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division rolled through a breach in the Iraqi defense west of Wadi Al-Batin and also cleared the northeastern sector from the scene of the enemy's offense. Task Force 3-37 Armor breaks through the Iraqi defense clearing the four lane crossings and extending the gap under direct enemy fire. Also, on February 24th the 1st Infantry Division along with the 1st Cavalry Division destroyed Iraqi Iraqi Infantry Post and Iraqi outposts and patrol stations. Both divisions also began capturing prisoners. The 1st Infantry Division also cleared the zone between Phase Line Vermont and Phase Line Kansas. After the 3rd Battalion of the 1st Infantry Division, the 37th Armor reached the back defense position of Iraq, it destroyed the Iraqi D-30 artillery battery and many trucks and bunkers.
The 1-41 Infantry Task Force was tasked with violating Iraq's initial defense position along the Iraq-Saudi border. The 1st Squadron, the 4th Steel Cavalry Regiment takes on similar responsibilities in its sector of operations. Battalion 5th Infantry Division 1st, 16th Infantry also plays an important role to clean the trench and arrest 160 Iraqi soldiers in the process. Once to the Iraqi Task Force 1-41 Infantry faces several Iraqi defense and bunker positions. This defense position is occupied by a brigade-sized element. Task Force 1-41 Infantry elements descend and prepare to engage enemy soldiers occupying these carefully prepared and guarded bunkers. The Task Force finds himself involved in six hours of battle to clear the vast bunker complex. Iraq involves the Task Force with small arms fire, RPG, mortar fire, and the rest of Iraqi artillery assets. A series of battles took place that resulted in heavy Iraqi casualties and the Iraqi people being expelled from their defensive positions with many prisoners of war. Some fled to be killed or captured by other coalition forces. In the process of clearing the bunkers, Task Force 1-41 captured two brigade command posts and command posts from the 26th Iraqi Infantry Division. The Task Force also captured brigade commanders, some battalion commanders, company commanders, and staff staff. As combat operations take place, the 1-41 Infantry Task Force is involved in short distances dug several times in enemy tanks in ambush positions. For several hours, pass anti-tank teams equipped with Iraqi anti-tanks, T-55 tanks, and descend from Iraqi infantry fired to passing American vehicles, only to be destroyed by other US tanks and combat vehicles after the initial troops.
Task Force 1st Infantry Division 2-16 Infantry cleans four lanes simultaneously through a fortified enemy ditch system while inflicting heavy casualties on Iraqi forces. Task Force 2-16 continues attacks clearing over 13 miles of deep-rooted enemy position resulting in the capture and destruction of many enemy vehicles, equipment, personnel and bunker orders.
Basic campaigns
The ground campaign consists of three or four of the largest tank battles in American history. The battles at 73 Easting, Norfolk and Medina Ridge are well recorded for their historical interest. Some people consider the battle at Medina Ridge the biggest battle tank in the war. The US Marine Corps also fought in the largest tank battle in its history at Kuwait International Airport. The 3rd US Armored Division also fought in a significant battle at Objective Dorset not far from where the Norfolk battle took place. The 3rd US Armored Division destroyed about 300 enemy combat vehicles during this special encounter with Iraqi forces. The Iraqi people suffered the loss of more than 3,000 tanks and more than 2,000 other combat vehicles during the battle against the US-led coalition.
Kuwait Liberation
The US bait attack by air strikes and naval shots the night before the liberation of Kuwait was designed to make Iraq believe the main coalition ground attack will focus on central Kuwait.
For months, American units in Saudi Arabia have been under almost constant Iraqi artillery fire, as well as threats from Scud missiles or chemical attacks. On February 24, 1991, the 1st and 2nd Marine Divisions, and the 1st Light Steel Infantry Battalion crossed into Kuwait and headed for Kuwait City. They found trenches, barbed wire, and minefields. However, these positions are poorly maintained, and flooded in the first few hours. Some tank battles took place, but in addition, coalition troops faced minimal resistance, as most of the Iraqi forces surrendered. The general pattern is that the Iraqi people will do a short resistance before surrender. However, Iraqi air defenses shot down nine US planes. Meanwhile, troops from Arab countries advanced to Kuwait from the east, faced little resistance and suffered several casualties.
Despite the success of coalition forces, it is feared that the Iraqi Republican Guard will flee to Iraq before it can be destroyed. It was decided to send British armored troops to Kuwait 15 hours ahead of schedule, and to send US troops after the Republican Guard. Coalition progress was preceded by heavy artillery and rocket attacks, after which 150,000 soldiers and 1,500 tanks started their advance. Iraqi forces in Kuwait attacked US troops, acting on direct orders from Saddam Hussein himself. Despite fierce fighting, the Americans beat the Iraqi people and move on to Kuwait City.
Kuwaiti forces are tasked with liberating the city. Iraqi forces offer only mild resistance. Kuwait lost one soldier and one plane was shot down, and quickly liberated the city. On February 27, Saddam ordered his withdrawal from Kuwait, and President Bush declared his release. However, an Iraqi unit at Kuwait International Airport did not seem to receive the message and strongly rejected it. US Marines had to fight for hours before securing the airport, after which Kuwait was declared safe. After four days of fighting, Iraqi forces were expelled from Kuwait. As part of a scorched earth policy, they burned nearly 700 oil wells and placed landmines around the well to extinguish the fire more difficult.
First step to Iraq
The ground war phase was officially established Operation Desert Saber.
The first unit to move to Iraq was three patrols from the British Air Force B squadron, signs of Bravo One Zero, Bravo Two Zero and Bravo Three Zero, in late January. The eight-man patrol landed behind the Iraqi line to gather information on the movements of the Scud mobile missile launchers, which could not be detected from the air, as they were hidden under bridges and camouflage nets during the day. Other destinations include the destruction of their fiber optic launchers and their fiber optic communications located in the pipeline and sending coordinates to TEL 's carriers that launch attacks against Israel. The operation was designed to prevent possible Israeli intervention. Due to the lack of sufficient ground cover to carry out their duties, One Zero and Three Zero left their operations, while Two Zero remaining, and then compromised, with only Sergeant Chris Ryan fleeing to Syria.
Elements of the 2nd Brigade, 5th Battalion of the 5th Cavalry of the 1st US Army's First Cavalry Division conducted a direct assault on Iraq on February 15, 1991, followed by one that prevailed on February 20 leading directly through seven captured Iraqi divisions careless. On January 17, 1991, the 101st Airborne Flight Regiment, fired the first shot of the war when eight AH-64 helicopters destroyed two Iraqi early warning radar sites. From 15-20 February, the Battle of Wadi Al-Batin took place in Iraq; this is the first of two attacks by 1st Battalion 5 Cavalry of the 1st Cavalry Division. It was a hoax attack, designed to make Iraq think that a coalition invasion will take place from the south. Iraqis fight hard, and America finally retreats as planned back to Wadi Al-Batin. Three US soldiers were killed and nine people wounded, with one IFE M2 Bradley turret destroyed, but they have taken 40 prisoners and destroyed five tanks, and managed to deceive the Iraqi people. This attack leads the way for the XVIII Airborne Corps to sweep around behind Cav 1 and attack Iraqi forces to the west. At 22
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