25 Years ago – 16th January 1991 – Operation Desert Storm in Kuwait
Twenty-five years ago, former President George H.W. Bush took to the airwaves to announce the launch of what is now known as Operation Desert Storm.
US-led military operation to drive Saddam Hussein’s forces out of Kuwait. “Just two hours ago, allied air forces began an attack on military targets in Iraq and Kuwait,” Bush said on the evening of January 16, 1991. “These attacks continue as I speak.” For five weeks, coalition forces bombarded Iraqi positions from the air and sea. When a ground invasion followed in February, it took only 100 hours to drive Iraqi forces out of Kuwait.
Operation Desert Storm marked a shift in how Americans experience combat when the US military deploys in far-flung countries.
For the first time, the beginning of a conflict played out on live TV, and viewers could “watch the war” from the comfort of home as it unfolded.
It was billed as a smashing success: an “accurate” bombing campaign, followed up by a swift, four-day ground assault that led to Iraq’s expulsion from Kuwait and a ceasefire.
Then again, how does one define success in Iraq? Coalition losses reached the hundreds, while Iraqi troop deaths reached into the tens of thousands, and another 2,000-plus civilians were killed.
The anniversary of Operation Desert Storm is a reminder of the unfinished history of the United States at war in Iraq. After all, here we are 25 years later, still dropping bombs there.
Kuwait News
- Events in Kuwait
- Three towers in Kuwait hit by lightning at same time
- Shishas to be ban in cafes
- New Year ‘holidays’ from 1st Jan – 4th Jan in Kuwait
- Pakistani impersonating ‘Kuwaiti’, arrested
- Woman among 3 caught
- How to renew Online Driving License
- Six expats arrested in Kuwait
- Kuwait ready to ease business visa
- You won 50,000 KD, did you receive the call? two guys arrested
- Airport terminal to be closed
- Holidays in Kuwait in 2020
- “Syed Khadar” arrested in India
- Man dumps his friends body in parking area
- Now Expats can apply for sick leave, medical reports through Mobile App
- Indian kills himself
- ‘Runaway’ Kuwaiti girl found
- Kuwait bans domestic workers from 2 Asian and 25 African countries
- Transfer of domestic visa to company visa and driving licence
- 5000 KD Salary
- Airways offload the ‘fashionist’ from airline.
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