| In
the nineteenth century, Iraq and Kuwait were ruled together by the Ottoman Turks
and, after the fall of the Ottoman Empire, many Iraqis thought that they should
be one country. Kuwait, although small, had some
of the biggest oil reserves in the world. In August
1990, Iraqi troops invaded and occupied Kuwait, leading to worldwide protest and
an immediate rise in oil prices. In a military operation
codenamed "Desert Shield", 30 countries sent forces to Saudi Arabia
to protect oil supplies. The UN announced that if
Iraq did not withdraw from Kuwait by January 15, 1991, force would be used. When
Iraq failed to withdraw its forces, the UN ordered an attack codenamed "Desert
Storm". The UN allies launched a heavy six-week
bombing campaign, followed by a ground invasion of Kuwait, which was liberated
in just 100 hours. On February 28, a ceasefire was
agreed and Iraq gave up claims to Kuwait. |