Page 87 - History of War - Issue 01-14

THE START OF THE GULF WAR

considered its response. With the disaster of To persuade Saudi King Fahd to allow Alas, such cordialities failed to amount to
the Vietnam War still haunting the American thousands of Christian soldiers to descend an agreement between the UN and the Iraqis,
psyche, President Bush and his advisors were upon his land, a UN delegation showed him and the 15 January deadline passed with no
initially apprehensive about resolving the satellite intelligence that revealed thousands movement from Saddam’s forces. “We tried over
situation with force. Recalled then-Chairman of Iraqi troops close to the Saudi border. The and over to bring about a peaceful solution,”
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell, “My King needed no more encouragement: he remembered General Schwarzkopf. “Countless
two concerns were: I didn’t know how rapidly granted his permission and a defence plan – diplomats from the east, west, north, south,
we could bring it to a conclusion, and I wasn’t Operation Desert Shield – was set in motion. from the then-Communist bloc – they all went
sure what the casualty level would be, because With pressure mounting on them from almost to Baghdad, because that’s where the peaceful
I didn’t know whether [the Iraqis] would use all sides, the Iraqis were offered a hand of solution had to come from. And then Tariq Aziz
chemicals, or whether we would have some bad diplomacy by Mikhail Gorbachev’s Soviet Union. came out and spoke for 45 minutes. He didn’t
luck some place along the line.” For once, the Soviets stood fi rm alongside the even mention the word ‘Kuwait’. The country
Margaret Thatcher, on the other hand, was in US in demanding Iraq’s withdrawal but, with his had been blotted off the map as far as the
no doubt as to what action needed to be taken. country’s own economy crumbling around him, Iraqis were concerned, and that was irrevocable.
The British Prime Minister was in Colorado for Gorbachev was wary of destroying relations with Nothing else was going to change after that.”
a conference when she received the message Iraq by adopting too aggressive an approach. And so, on 17 January 1991, the UN
from her Private Secretary, Charles Powell, that “We gave them a clear-cut signal that we would changed its tactics from defensive to offensive.
Iraq had invaded Kuwait. In a later interview with be together with the UN and that what they had Overnight, Operation Desert Shield became
Operation Desert Storm, with swarms of
THE STORY GOES THAT THATCHER TOLD coalition planes mounting an aerial assault that
saw 88,500 tons of bombs dropped on Iraq’s
THE US PRESIDENT, “REMEMBER, GEORGE, military and civilian infrastructures in the space
THIS IS NO TIME TO GO WOBBLY” – of a month – much of the action witnessed by
viewers at home via those eerie green images.
THOUGH DICK CHENEY DISMISSED THIS It was merely the fi rst part of a lethal
campaign that would bring Saddam’s forces
Frontline, she explained, “The following morning, done was unacceptable,” the Russian premier to their knees within six weeks. And while
I woke up early, went out for a walk and got later told Frontline. “But on the other hand, we many liberal observers condemned it, General
things worked out in my mind. But it was clear: were acting as friends of Iraq. If they reversed Schwarzkopf was adamant that fl exing military
aggression must be stopped. That’s the lesson the situation, they could preserve relations. We muscle had been the only way to solve the
of this century. If an aggressor gets away with it, didn’t say we were breaking everything at once.” crisis. “Some people say we should’ve let the
others will want to get away with it, too. I thought In a letter to Gorbachev, Saddam was sanctions run a little bit longer,” he later said.
we ought to throw [Saddam] out so decisively seemingly grateful for the peace offering – “That’s very nice to say if you’re sitting in the
that he could never think of doing it again.” although his hesitancy towards the Soviets’ comfort of your living room in the United States
(Indeed, the story goes that Thatcher told the allies was clear: “Even though we will keep our of America. But if you were in Kuwait and
US President, “Remember, George, this is no promise, Mr President, we do know that the you were seeing your children tortured and
time to go wobbly” – though then-Secretary Americans – especially their President – have your wife raped, was it OK to wait? When
of Defence Dick Cheney later dismissed this.) no honour and we do not trust them. Therefore, we put it all together, there was no question.
Eventually, coalition leaders reached a we are working only with your proposal.” It was time to go and get it over with.” w
compromise: the UN passed Resolution 660
condemning Saddam’s actions and calling for
an immediate withdrawal from Kuwait, with the
threat of economic sanctions if he didn’t comply.
If it seemed like a softly-softly approach, it was
only temporary: in November 1990, another
Resolution (678) stated that if Iraq failed to
pull out its troops by 15 January 1991, all hell
would break loose. “Withdraw from Kuwait
unconditionally and immediately,” President Bush
warned Saddam, “or face the consequences.”
Over the next six months, the coalition
prepared for war. While it would be a gargantuan
task moving 750,000 troops, thousands of
main battle tanks (MBTs) and countless naval
ships to the Persian Gulf, the task would be
aided by the fact that – coincidentally – only
a few weeks before Iraq’s invasion, a plan had
been put in place by US Central Command
(CENTCOM) designed to defend Middle Eastern
oilfi elds. The trouble was, that plan involved Mary Evans
setting up base in Saudi Arabia: one of President Bush (seated right) attends a National Security Council
meeting following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, 2-4 August 1990
the holiest countries in the Muslim world.

1991

17 JANUARY 22 FEBRUARY 24 FEBRUARY 26 FEBRUARY 1 MARCH

By 16 January, Iraqi troops With Iraq’s resources devastated, With Saddam having ignored Overwhelmed by the military A ceasefire plan is negotiated
are still present in Kuwait, President Bush issues an the ultimatum, US-led coalition might of the coalition invaders, in Safwan, Iraq, much to the

so Operation Desert Storm is ultimatum to Saddam: withdraw forces invade Iraq and Kuwait. Saddam finally orders his troops reluctance of Saddam, who
launched with a relentless aerial your troops from Kuwait within General Norman Schwarzkopf to withdraw from Kuwait. claims that the conditions are
assault on Iraq’s military assets. 24 hours or face a ground war. later states, “We put together one-sided and unfair. Almost
It is common for there to be a plan to make sure that by immediately afterwards, uprisings
more than 2,500 sorties a day. the time we launched a ground are reported across Iraq, with
campaign, the Iraqis couldn’t the general belief being that
respond. That’s what happened.” the President is vulnerable.
HISTORY WAR
of