Chronology
This is a chronology of the 44-day offensive campaign that expelled Iraq from Kuwait.
|
|
|
| Wed 16 Jan | UN deadline
expires at midnight UN time (0500 GMT) and authorization given to use all
force to remove Iraqi troops from Kuwait.
Saddam Hussein takes direct control of Iraqi armed forces. British Prime Minister gives a briefing on impending attack to Opposition leaders and then informs the Queen. US; FBI ordered to track down some 3,000 Iraqis whose visas have expired. President Bush orders the attack. At 2150 GMT, cruise missiles are launched, and at 2330 GMT, heavy anti-aircraft fire is reported in Baghdad. |
| Thurs 17 Jan | Baghdad bombed.
Saddam Hussein declares on radio that 'the mother of all battles has begun'. The PLO calls on all Arabs, Muslims and citizens of third-world countries to confront the 'bare-faced treachery'. Iraqi artillery shells a Saudi Arabian oil refinery near the Kuwait border. US helicopters and aircraft retaliate. Iraq claims 14 coalition aircraft destroyed. Coalition reports no losses. |
| Fri 18 Jan | Allies report
3 aircraft lost in first 24 hours of operations, included was one RAF Tornado.
Iran warns it will intervene if its interests are threatened. CNN reports its stories from Baghdad are being censored. Italy announces the loss of one Tornado. Refugees begin heading for Jordan from Iraq. Iraqi ambassador to Japan warns that Iraq reserves the right to use chemical weapons. Iraq launches Scuds at Israel and Saudi Arabia. |
| Sat 19 Jan | Iraq launches
another Scud attack on Israel. Tel Aviv is hit and civilians are wounded.
Numbers launched vary, US DoD claims 3 launches and Baghdad says 11 launched.
Iraqi ambassador to Paris claims high civilian casualties and damage to civilian property after Allied air attacks on Baghdad. Iraqi forces operating from nine Kuwaiti oil platforms neutralized and twelve prisoners taken. Israel announces it is in a state of war. Reuters quotes an unidentified US spokesman as saying President Bush has been assured by the Israelis that they would not retaliate against Iraq for Scud attacks. |
| Sun 20 Jan | Seven Allied
POWs are paraded on Iraqi TV bloodied and beaten, saying that the attacks
are wrong. Medical practitioners who saw the tapes say they could have
been maltreated. Article 17 of the 1949 Geneva Convention states that 'no
physical or mental torture, nor any other form of coercion, may be inflicted
on a prisoner of war'.
Israel confirms it will not retaliate. Three CNN staffers are allowed to stay in Iraq because of their impartial reports. British MoD confirms a third Tornado lost and Allied total losses now 15 aircraft. Anti-war demonstrators storm an army barracks in Berlin. Demonstrations are held in Brussels calling for an end to military support for the coalition. |
| Mon 21 Jan | Iraqi ambassador
to Paris states that Iraq will only acknowledge the Geneva Convention for
those POWs the Coalition admits have been captured.
British Defence Secretary, Tom King, states he suspects that torture and coercion has been used to obtain statements televised by Iraq from Allied POWs. Parliament overwhelmingly endorses the British participation in Desert Storm by 563 votes to 34. President Bush states that Saddam Hussein will be held accountable for the fate of Allied POWs and that the Iraqi plan to use POWs as human shields will make no difference to the prosecution of the war. A NATO building in Istanbul is bombed. The left-wing organization Dev Sol claims responsibility. German Chancellor Helmut Kohl calls for a Marshall Plan type economic aid programme for the Middle East once the Gulf War is over. |
| Tues 22 Jan | Tokyo warns
that members of the Japanese Red Army terrorist group may strike in Europe
in support of Iraq.
The European Community condemns Iraq's treatment and use of POWs. Hundreds of Iraqi refugees cross into Jordan, and the UN says that up to 750,000 foreigners may be waiting to leave Iraq once it is safe to travel. The Prince Minister of the Afghan guerrilla groups' interim government condemns the Gulf War as one imposed on innocent Muslims. Iraq says that 41 civilians have been killed and 191 injured in a letter to the UN Secretary General from Iraqi UN ambassador. |
| Wed 23 Jan | More Scud
attacks on Israel.
Soviet news agency Interfax learned from an unidentified Soviet Army source that claims 90% of bombing missions undertaken by the Allies missed their targets. The Allies had made over 10,000 sorties so far. MoD announces another RAF Tornado lost. Iraq televises pictures of a 'destroyed milk factory', US says it was a weapons plant involved in biological warfare. Baghdad radio announces a British Tornado pilot captured by two Iraqi citizens. Iraqi troops set fire to Kuwaiti oil wells, sending a pall of black smoke over Kuwait. |
| Thur 24 Jan | MoD announces
loss of 5th Tornado. Buccaneers and two more army regiments being sent
to Gulf. Spokesmen states that RN is engaged in offensive operations
against Iraqi Navy and liberation of the Kuwaiti island of Qaruh. Three
Iraqis killed and fifty-one captured in liberation operation.
US F-16 shot down over Kuwait. Pilot rescued by helicopter. The Director of the FBI says international terrorists are operating in the USA. The Prime Minister says the land battle will not be fought until Iraqi land forces have been weakened to minimize casualties. |
| Fri 25 Jan | Iraqi Air
Force planes begin evacuating to Iran. Iran states that any aircraft Allied
or Iraqi landing on its territory will be held until the conflict ends.
Allied aircraft losses now 25, for 17,500 sorties. Iraq claims 200 planes shot down and 20 POWs taken, 101 civilians killed and 90 soldiers. The Kurds state that 10,000 soldiers have been killed. Australia announces it is sending a team of divers to the Gulf to help with mine clearance. German government announces a package of aid worth 1,00 million US dollars to Egypt, Jordan, Turkey and Israel. More Scud attacks on Israel, one person killed and several injured. CNN reporter taken by Iraqi officials to the town of Al-Dour, where he counts 20 homes destroyed and is told 24 civilians have been killed. Iraq starts pumping oil into the Gulf itself. This is classified by the Pentagon as 'environmental terrorism'. |
| Sat 26 Jan | Spokesman
states that the oil slick in the Gulf is moving south at 20 miles per day
and is causing massive ecological damage to the wildlife and coastline.
Anti-war demonstrators converge on Bonn, Germany. Demonstrations are also held in London, Washington, Los Angeles and San Francisco. A CNN reporter is shown destruction in civilian area of the town of Najaf. Jordan requests that Iraq opens its border to allow an estimated 5,000 refugees to leave. US Secretary of State announces that Saudi Arabia has pledged an estimated 13,500 million US dollars towards US war costs. On German TV, the Turkish President says his country would respond to any Iraqi attack. USAF F-111s bombed the Kuwaiti oil terminal that was the source of the oil slick to terminate the flow of oil. |
| Sun 27 Jan | Iranian Red
Crescent Society announces a donation of food to the people of Iraq.
Jordanian officials say that thousands of refugees have been ordered back to Baghdad for exit visas. The Iranian news reports oil polluted rain has fallen on Iran. A USN spokesman says that a group of 30 Iraqi soldiers stranded on the island of Um al-Maradim have indicated their wish to surrender. A letter to the US Secretary General from the Iraqi Foreign Minister is broadcast by Baghdad radio. It says Iraq will hold the UN Secretary General personally responsible for the continuing attacks on its territory. A US military spokesman says Iraqi troops have planted an estimated 500,000 mines inside Kuwait. |
| Mon 28 Jan | Over 100 Iraqi
aircraft, including at least 39 warplanes are reported to have taken haven
in Iran.
Britain begins airlifting anti-pollution equipment to Saudi Arabia to defend the coastline and desalination plants. RAF Buccaneers join the air war. Iraq states that the foreign presence in the gulf is an environmental threat to the region, in a letter to the Director of the World Health Association. A three-day debate begins in the Japanese Parliament on aid to the Coalition countries. The opposition party leader says such aid is a breach of the country's constitution. UN Disaster Relief Organization says 9800 refugees have been allowed to cross the border to Jordan from Iraq, most are Jordanian. President Bush says that the US does not seek the destruction or destabilization of Iraq and reaffirms that US forces will leave the Gulf region as soon as their mission is complete. |
| Tues 29 Jan | A statement
broadcast by Iraqi Radio says that a captured Allied pilot was killed the
previous night in an air attack on the Ministry of Industry building in
Baghdad.
UN says a group of 30 refugees
has crossed into Syria from Iraq.
|
| Wed 30 Jan | Overnight
clashes on the Saudi Arabia-Kuwait border resulted in the deaths of 11
US Marines killed. 24 Iraqi tanks were destroyed along with 13 other vehicles
The Italian commander in the Gulf resigns after an article was published quoting him as saying 'conflict could have been avoided if the Allies had given more time for sanctions to work'. UN Secretary General replies to Iraqi letter, saying he rejects the personal attack made on him in a previous letter from the Iraqi Foreign Minister and renews his call for Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait. British Foreign Minister holds talks with his German counterpart, the German Foreign Minister announces that Germany will give Britain 540 million US dollars to help defray the costs of the Gulf War. OECD meeting in Paris describes Iraq's dumping of oil into the gulf as a crime against the environment and a violation of international law. Jordan's Foreign Minister says four Jordanian nationals and one Egyptian were killed in deliberate and brutal Allied air attacks on the Baghdad to Amman road. Neo-Nazis in Germany say they have received more than 500 volunteers to go to the Gulf and fight for Iraq. |
| Thur 31 Jan | US, Qatari
and Saudi forces move against Iraqi troops holding the border town of Al-Khafji
in Saudi Arabia.
17 Iraqi patrol boats sunk in naval clash with RAF Jaguars and RN Lynx helicopters. British Prime Minister states that a British presence in the region is likely after the war ends and cannot rule out military action against Iraq after the liberation of Kuwait. UN Environment programme says it is sending a team to investigate the oil slick in the Gulf and calls a special meeting in Geneva to prepare an international strategy to deal with the contamination. British Defence Secretary says he believes it is likely that Iraq will use chemical weapons. He also tells Parliament that he has agreed to a US request to station B-52 bombers at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire from where they can bomb Iraq. US Vice-President visits Britain and arrives at RAF Lakenheath where he is welcomed by US forces personnel. He later holds talks with Prime Minister John Major. |
| Fri 1 Feb | A FROG missile
fired by Iraqi troops into the positions of the 82nd Airborne Division
lands harmlessly in mud.
US Central Command stops giving out daily loss totals to stop giving away useful information to the Iraqis. US State Department says 70 terrorist attacks have been carried out against Coalition countries since the war began, some by groups claiming solidarity with Iraq. Allied aircraft attack Basra, Faw, Abdul Khasid and Az-Zubair. Iraqi radio accuses Allied pilots of bombing civilian targets and machine-gunning people in the streets. John Major is among those Iraqi radio labels as a war criminal. Dan Quayle refuses to rule out a nuclear response to any Iraqi chemical attack in a BBC radio interview. France gives its permission for US B-52s to overfly its territory on missions against Iraqi targets. Permission is granted for tanker aircraft to use French bases to refuel the B-52s in flight. |
| Sat 2 Feb | Another Scud
missile strikes Israel.
A group of more than 100 Indian nurses reported missing in Iraq arrive at a refugee camp at Ruweished across the Jordanian border. The British Foreign Secretary proposes a sweeping new security association in the Middle East once the war is over. US Defence Secretary says there will be no sanctuary for Iraqi forces inside Iraq. He also says that after the war, the Coalition might want to maintain some kind of international sanctions to deny Saddam Hussein the capability of rebuilding his forces. Mr. Cheney rules out any cease-fire until Iraq complies with UN resolutions. |
| Sun 3 Feb | US Central
Command Chief of Staff announces that 25 of 30 major bridges out of Kuwait
have been destroyed.
Baghdad radio announces that seven downed US pilots have been handed over to the US embassy in Damascus by the Syrian authorities. An Iranian newspaper says that Iran and other Muslim countries may boycott the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in protest of the presence of US troops in Saudi Arabia. An Iranian high-ranking Shi'ite clergyman, Ayatollah Mohammed-Reza Golpayegani, warns the US of dire consequences of attacks on the Iraqi people. In a letter to President Bush he urges the withdrawal of the US troops. He also condemns Iraq's occupation of Kuwait. Thousands of Moroccans stage a pro-Iraq demonstration in Rabat organized by five opposition parties and Islamic fundamentalists. |
| Mon 4 Feb | The Guns of
USS Missouri begin shelling shore positions in southern Kuwait; a spotter
plane guides fire. USS Wisconsin later joins the bombardment.
A US Huey helicopter crashes in Saudi Arabia, four US marines on board are killed. An Iraqi military newspaper claims the country is ready for a land war. It claims Iraq has the upper hand, not in weaponry but in determination. The 12 EC countries Foreign ministers agree to help defray Israel's war costs and provide finance to member countries involved in the Gulf War. An Israeli spokesman estimates that only half of Iraq's 6 Scud missile launchers have been disabled. In the USA, several bombs are discovered attached to a gas storage bank near the Norfolk Naval Base, Virginia. |
| Tue 5 Feb | Refugees report
conditions in Iraqi cities are getting worse.
Baghdad radio broadcasts a series of messages, apparently in code, calling for those abroad to strike at the Coalition countries. US B-52 bombers begin arriving at RAF Fairford in Britain. Czechoslovakia sends 37 more soldiers to Saudi Arabia to reinforce its anti-chemical warfare unit in the region. Soviet Foreign Minister calls upon Iraq to restore Kuwait's independence and says that the war is already exceeding reasonable limits, and that Baghdad is being irreparably damaged. French Defence Minister confirms that French troops will participate in any ground offensive, including any incursion into Iraqi territory. He adds that, for certain missions, French troops will be under American control. (Webmasters Note: France left NATO's military command structure to avoid this sort of foreign control) |
| Wed 6 Feb | Iraq breaks
off diplomatic relations with Allies.
Emergency aid from the World Health Organization and the UN Children's Fund is dispatched to Iraq. USAF aircraft shot down four Iraqi aircraft fleeing to Iran. British sources announce that minesweepers will be sent to the Gulf. Allied military briefing reports that US F-16s have switched from bombs to Maverick anti-tank missiles for use against Iraqi Republican Guard and tank formations. A Qatari owned cargo vessel, carrying explosives and mines to Saudi Arabia is refused permission by Egypt to pass through the Suez Canal. US President Bush assures the Pakistani President that Coalition forces will maintain the sanctity of Iraq's holy places. Sri Lanka opens its ports and airports for Allied refuelling purposes, and to assist in the repatriation of war refugees. |
| Thurs 7 Feb | President
Bush says the road to peace will be long and tough but an Allied victory
will offer a historic opportunity to bring peace to the Gulf region. He
concedes that the impact of the Gulf crisis has deepened the recession
in the US economy.
USAF tankers arrive in France at Mont de Marsan airfield. Iranian authorities report heavy bombardment the previous night of Iraqi cities of Zorbatiya and Ta'an near the Iranian border. The British CiC, General Sir Peter de la Billière, says that he believes a ground offensive is inevitable. Before it begins, he says, there will be massive and unrelenting air strikes. Iranian news agency says six more Iraqi military aircraft have flown into Iranian air space but only one managed to land safely. One pilot was killed. |
| Fri 8 Feb | The Iraqi
Army begins to suffer desertions as Allied bombing takes its toll.
The commander of the US forces in the Gulf, General Norman Schwarzkopf, says it is too early to tell if a ground war is needed. The Iranians say another 15 people, mainly Sudanese and Vietnamese, have crossed into Iran from Iraq. Holland announces that it is to supply Israel with eight Patriot missile launchers. The Royal Navy announces that one of their helicopters has destroyed another Iraqi patrol boat in the Gulf. 10 survivors were seen making their way towards Faylakah Island in a life raft. British Defence Secretary says between 15 to 20 percent of Iraq's fighting capacity in the Kuwait area has been destroyed. In London, Kurdish political groups say Iraqi soldiers have been surrendering to Kurdish guerillas in the far north of Iraq. They say as many as 80,000, many of them Kurds, have deserted so far. Italy agrees to let the Allies use an airport near Milan as a base for the tankers that refuel fighter aircraft. |
| Sat 9 Feb | Britain's
deployment in the Gulf is estimated at £125 billion for the current
financial year. To date Britain has been offered £370 million
from Germany, £300 million from Saudi Arabia, £26 million
from Japan and Kuwaiti government last night promised £660 million
towards the cost of evicting Saddam Hussein from Kuwait.
US Citizens are urged to leave Jordan. Iraqi Scud missile attack on Israel, at least 3 explosions above Tel Aviv. 25 people are injured and Patriot is engaged. An official Syrian newspaper urges Iraqis to assassinate Saddam Hussein to end the war. US Marines spokesman confirmed that 750 Iraqi tanks are confirmed destroyed as well as slightly fewer APCs and artillery pieces. UN naval forces have also destroyed a Silkworm missile site. President Gorbachev says events are threatening to overstep the UN mandate, and the war is causing great concern in the Soviet Union. A Red Cross convoy carrying ten tons of medical aid crosses into Iraq from Iran. Iran appeals to UNESCO to help protect religious and cultural sites in Iraq. |
| Sun 10 Feb | First B-52
bombing missions fly over Iraq from England and Spain.
Saddam Hussein addresses Iraq for the first time in two weeks and says victory is assured and praises the country and people. Saudi Arabia reopens a desalination plant at Safania after it had been closed due to the drifting oil slick. US Defence Secretary states that the war is going well and that production facilities for nuclear, biological and chemical weapons have been almost destroyed although Iraq maintains significant amounts of chemical weapons. He stresses that there will be no cessation or pause until Iraq withdraws from Kuwait. A BBC correspondent in Baghdad says two bridges were destroyed during the night. |
| Mon 11 Feb | Bonn is to
prosecute nine firms in Germany, which have violated the arms embargo against
Iraq.
A civil defence spokesman in Basra says that more than 200 civilians have been killed in bomb attacks on the city. Turkish Foreign Minister assures Syria, Egypt and Saudi Arabia that his country has no designs on Iraqi territory on a tour of the Middle East. Another Scud is fired at Israel and hits a residential area, injuring seven people and damaging houses. Iraqi Minister for Religious Affairs says thousands of Iraqi civilians have been killed or wounded in Allied air attacks. He says that religious buildings and dozens of houses in the three holy Shi'ite cities have been destroyed. |
| Tue 12 Feb | The Iraqi
Deputy Prime Minister says morale in Iraq is high and that it is ready
for a land battle, while speaking in Tunis.
The chairman of the Kuwaiti Information Bureau in Dhahran alleges that Iraqi troops in Kuwait are continuing to commit atrocities. Saddam Hussein says Moscow is involved in the crimes of the Allies because it backed the UN resolution authorizing military action. The Pakistani Prime Minister outlines his six-point peace plan in talks in Morocco with King Hussein of Jordan. Jordanian officials say Syria and Yemen are to supply Jordan with oil to offset shortages caused by the Gulf crisis. |
| Wed 13 Feb | The Soviet
Communist Party newspaper denies Western reports that Soviet military units
are serving with front-line units in Iraq.
The Iranian news agency reports that towns and cities in eastern Iraq came under heavy bombing attacks from planes last night. The Mayor of Athens says that he believes that bombing has damaged many ancient monuments in Iraq. Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister asks Morocco to withdraw its troops from Saudi Arabia in a meeting in Morocco with King Hassan. The German Government says it will give 100 million US dollars to Israel for the country to buy Patriot missiles. Afghan sources say a second group of Mujahadeen guerrillas, led by Colonel Mohammed Qasim, is to go to Saudi Arabia to fight under Saudi command in the Gulf War. Allied aircraft bomb a bunker in Baghdad at 4.30am Baghdad time. Iraq says it was civilian and Washington insists it was military. |
| Thurs 14 Feb | Allied air
losses now 27 aircraft. Allies have now destroyed 1,300 Iraqi tanks according
to a US Marine spokesman.
US Ambassador to the UN says that Saddam Hussein is responsible for Iraq's civilian casualties. Jordan issues a statement condemning the bunker bombing, and announces three days of mourning for the victims. Hundreds of people march on the US embassy in protest. Palestinians begin a three-day strike to mourn the victims of the bunker bombing. President Rafsanjani sends a message to the UN Secretary General saying that Saddam Hussein has turned down the peace initiative put forward by Iran. |
| Fri 15 Feb | Iraq says
it will comply with UN resolution 660, but with a long list of impossible
conditions attached which includes rescinding all other UN resolutions
on Kuwait, Israel's withdrawal from the occupied territories and economic
repatriations to Iraq and the cancellation of all debts, and a security
agreement for the Gulf which would exclude all foreign forces.
At the UN Security Council meeting, the British ambassador attacks Iraq over its treatment of POWs and the Iraqi Ambassador calls on the Security Council to condemn the slaughter in Iraq. The Soviet ambassador says that Iraq is to blame for the hostilities. The Iraqi ambassador, in a BBC interview afterwards, says that Iraq is willing to negotiate but its opponents refuse to do so. German anti-aircraft missiles are transported to Turkey. Chancellor Kohl of Germany says the Iraqi proposal on withdrawal from Kuwait is unacceptable. |
| Sat 16 Feb | US Military
spokesman says that three more US aircraft have been lost.
Allied artillery and helicopters continue bombarding Iraqi positions across the border. The Iraqi authorities say that all bodies have now been recovered from the bombed air raid shelter, and that a total of 314 people were killed. Foreign journalists in Iraq were taken to Fallujah, where bridges over the Euphrates were attacked last week by British Tornados and where two laser guided bombs accidentally killed many civilians in the town's market. The MoD disputes some details of the bombing. Two Scud missiles are launched at Israel but land in unpopulated areas. A total of 35 Scuds have now been fired at Israel since the war began. Iran 's Supreme National Council says it is now up to the Allies to respond to Iraq's conditional offer to withdraw from Kuwait and that Coalition forces no longer have an excuse to continue their air raids on Iraq. |
| Sun 17 Feb | In several
skirmishes, US AH-64 Apache helicopters took 20 prisoners without the help
of any ground support.
UNICEF sends 50 tons of emergency medical supplies to Baghdad in a convoy travelling from Iran. The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions alleges that Iraqi forces in Kuwait have arrested and tortured members of the country's trade union movement. The Iranian news agency carries more reports of black rain falling on western parts of Iran from fires and explosions in Iraq. IRNA reports a resumption of heavy Allied bombing raids on southern Iraq. The commander of British forces in the Gulf, Air Chief Marshall Sir Patrick Hine, says he thinks a ground offensive is now certain. The Iraqi ambassador to Paris says that Iraq's conditional offer to withdraw from Kuwait is a clear indication that Saddam Hussein wants peace. Baghdad radio says yesterday's Scud attack on Israel was aimed at the nuclear reactor at Dimona, and that they used their long-range Hijara missiles for the first time. The Israelis confirm that one missile landed in the Negev desert. |
| Mon 18 Feb | The UN Commander,
Schwarzkopf, says the Allies will grant safe passage to the Iraqi army
if it begins withdrawing from Kuwait.
Two US ships in the Gulf are damaged by mines. Allied minesweeping operations are extended into the northern Gulf. Soviet Foreign Ministry puts forward another peace proposal in talks with Tariz Azizi. Allied aircraft drop leaflets on cities in southern Iraq, urging residents to leave their homes to escape the bombing. A Pentagon briefing told that the US has photographic evidence that purported to show that Iraq was trying to dupe the world by doctoring its war damage. |
| Tue 19 Feb | President
Bush rejects the Soviet Peace Plan for falling far short of what was required.
Allied Minesweepers have found 22 mines in the northern Gulf so far, the air and ground assault continues. Allied aircraft resume bombing Baghdad, the first big attacks since the bunker bombing. Allied helicopters and land forces take over 500 prisoners in three ground actions. A senior US Army officer says that plans have been drawn up for the installation of a temporary government in areas of Iraq and Kuwait that fall into Allied hands. The Pope asks Roman Catholic leaders from around the world involved in the war to meet him at the Vatican on 4-5th March 1991. Iran's Foreign Minister says he is satisfied from the discussions with his Iraqi counterparts that Iraq has agreed to withdraw from Kuwait without preconditions. He calls for the Allies to respond with a 48-hour cease-fire and plans for a timetable for withdrawal. The director of the Iraqi Red Crescent Society appeals for more international medical and food aid, and for exports to help combat water shortages. In Geneva, the Red Cross says it believes epidemics such as cholera could break out. |
| Wed 20 Feb | The Iraqi
Deputy Prime Minister arrives in Peking for talks with the Chinese Prime
Minister, who urges an immediate and unconditional Iraqi withdrawal.
Schwarzkopf says he believes the Iraqi military machine is on the verge of collapse. In response the Iraqi Information Minister accuses the General of quoting 'lies and fantasies'. US State Department announces big cuts in aid to Tunisia due to its stance over the Gulf War. The Italian Prime Minister comes out in broad support of the Soviet Peace Plan. Further steps are to be taken to protect Saudi Arabia's main desalination plant at Jubail from the huge oil slick moving south down the coast from Kuwait. |
| Thurs 21 Feb | The Arab Committee
for Medical Assistance to Iraq says dozens of Arab doctors and tons of
medical supplies have arrived in Amman en route to Iraq in the past two
days.
A Pentagon spokesman says a ground offensive to oust the Iraqis from Kuwait will not be easy for the US and its Allies. In a broadcast over Baghdad radio, Saddam Hussein condemns Arab governments opposed to Iraq as traitors to their people. In a 35-minute tirade he gives no indication whether or not Iraq is prepared to accept the Soviet peace plan. The US expresses disappointment in the speech and says the war will continue. The British Army in conjunction with US forces unleashes its heaviest onslaught on Iraqi positions in Kuwait. The exiled Kuwaiti Finance Minister repeats Kuwait's demand for full repatriations from Iraq once the conflict is over. He says that the restoration of the government in Kuwait may be followed by martial law for a short period but there would be a return to the 1962 constitution and new parliamentary elections. |
| Fri 22 Feb | Aziz tells
President Gorbachev that Saddam Hussein has agreed to the Soviet Peace
Plan. Iraq accepted Resolution 660 but could not meet the proposed deadline
for withdrawal. Russia insisted that Coalition POWs be released within
3 days of a cease-fire despite Iraqi attempts to stall. Iraq wanted 6 weeks
to withdraw from Kuwait, and Russia replied with 4 days to withdraw from
Kuwaiti City and 21 days from Kuwait completely. Bush issues an ultimatum
giving the Iraqis until 1700 GMT on the 23rd February to begin their withdrawal
and complete it within one week.
US Secretary of State and Foreign Ministers of Coalition countries discuss the Soviet peace plan. A Saudi military spokesman says Iraq fired a Scud towards Bahrain during the night, but it was shot down by a Patriot missile and the debris fell into the sea. A US helicopter battalion commander is relived of command after an incident on 17th February when he fired on two friendly American armoured vehicles killing 2 soldiers, and had violated rules forbidding commanding officers from personally engaging enemy forces. A French Foreign Ministry statement says the Soviet peace plan is a step in the right direction but several points remained unclear and the Iraqi withdrawal must be rapid and immediate. Baghdad radio makes only an oblique reference to the Moscow talks, speaking of Iraq's 'deep belief in peace and the initiative of friends'. Officials at the UN environmental programme say that the oil slick in the northern Gulf may only contain one tenth of the oil that was originally suggested. |
| Sat 23 Feb | A new Soviet
peace plan gets the go-ahead from Saddam Hussein on the withdrawal plan
aspect but falls short of President Bush's ultimatum and the war goes on.
Soviet Middle East Envoy says that Saddam Hussein agreed that he would withdraw his troops without conditions and that it should be possible to resolve the situation within a day or two. The Kuwaiti ambassador to the UN tells the Security Council that at least 28,000 Kuwaiti nationals are now missing and that many of them have been taken by force to Iraq. He also says that there are more than 8,000 Kuwaiti POWs, more than half the Kuwaiti Army's strength. Turkey's President says he believes the Gulf War will bring a wave of democratic change to the Middle East. He denies suggestions that Turkey has joined the Coalition in order to grab something for itself, and his forces will not take part in any ground assault. A US military spokesman says he has no information that the Iraqis are pulling out of Kuwait. There are reports of atrocities against civilians. He says that the number of Allied sorties over Kuwait has reached a new record in the last 24 hours. |
| Sun 24 Feb | At 0100 GMT
(0400 local time) the Allied ground offensive is launched against Iraq,
the British Armoured Division executes a hook maneuver against the Republican
Guard in northern Kuwait.
Several US TV networks report large numbers of front-line Iraqi troops are surrendering. President Bush goes on television to announce that he has told his commanders in the Gulf to use all forces available to eject Iraqi units from Kuwait. He says the ultimatum delivered on the 22nd February was Saddam's last chance to withdraw, but instead the Iraqi leader had chosen to redouble his efforts to destroy Kuwait and its people. Schwarzkopf says the Allies have achieved all their first day objectives and 5,500 Iraqi prisoners have been captured in the first 10 hours. He goes on to say that the Allied naval forces are also conducting missions including amphibious assaults along the Kuwaiti coast. He says Allied casualties have been remarkably light and that there has been no sign of chemical weapons being used. |
| Mon 25 Feb | The Allied
army continues to advance at an astounding pace along a 300-mile wide front
deep into Iraq. The Allies have now encountered heavier resistance as they
come up against the better-equipped and trained units. Casualties are still
very light.
Two large-scale tank battles reported with US Marines supported by M60 tanks destroying 50-60 Iraqi tanks. By the end of the day 270 Iraqi tanks are claimed to have been destroyed and more than 20,000 prisoners taken. Many POWs are being marshaled behind the lines by helicopters. The Emir of Kuwait says he prays for a speedy victory and urges Kuwaitis to unite to rebuild their country. The US DoD says only a dozen or so American troops have been killed in the first few hours of the ground offensive. An Iraqi Silkworm missile is fired at USS Missouri. It is intercepted and destroyed by missiles from HMS Gloucestershire. An Iraqi military communiqué says their 3rd Brigade has launched an all-out offensive, and that the enemy has been forced to retreat after an eight-hour battle. The commander of French forces in the Gulf says his troops have neutralized an entire Iraqi division, and have penetrated 160 kilometres into Iraq. Baghdad radio reports that Saddam Hussein has ordered his forces to withdraw from Kuwait to positions they occupied on 1st August 1990. The broadcast says the order to withdraw has been taken in accordance with the Soviet peace proposal, which the Allies rejected before the start of the ground offensive. |
| Tue 26 Feb | Kuwait City
is abandoned by Iraqi troops and the Allies enmesh the city, cutting off
fleeing troops and taking many prisoners as the Iraqi forces flee bumper
to bumper on the main highway.
The Kuwaiti Government-in-exile says it will not accept any action which amounts to less than a complete and unconditional withdrawal, together with the restoration of Kuwait's legitimate government in accordance with UN resolutions. The statement says the Iraqi regime has a long history of lying and is not to be trusted. The UN Security Council met in closed session at the request of the Soviet Union. Iraq's representative said its troops had already begun withdrawing and that a cease-fire should be in place to ensure they can pull out safely. He also says that Iraq feels that all other UN resolutions have been superseded. This is rejected by Western delegations who say Baghdad should implement all the relevant UN resolutions. The White House says the war will continue until Iraq is expelled from Kuwait and Coalition forces will not attack soldiers in retreat, if they are not armed, but if they move as a combat unit they would still be subject to the rules of war. |
| Wed 27 Feb | Allied aircraft
prevent the retreat of Iraqi military units fleeing up the highway towards
Basra in commandeered vehicles and the convoy was turned into a four-mile
long traffic jam on Mutla Ridge as it was bombed into annihilation, many
of the vehicles filled with loot which was comprised of anything the fleeing
soldiers could lay their hands on in their last panic-stricken hours.
A number of isolated incidents continue to occur in Kuwait City with Allied troops ferreting out Iraqi sharpshooters and Republican Guards. Two days of stiff fighting ends and the City's airport was freed, but large quantities of live ammunition remain a cause for concern. Schwarzkopf says the gates are now closed on the Iraqi forces in the war zone and there is no way out for them. Allied casualties have been miraculously light. He also says that during the ground offensive there was nothing between the Coalition and Baghdad and that if the Allies had wanted to take Iraq they could have done so. The UN Security Council meets to discuss Iraq's announcement that it is prepared to comply with more of the Council's resolution on the Gulf War. At the end of a closed session the Security Council calls on Iraq to make a clear commitment with all Security Council resolutions relating to the Kuwaiti situation. It also demands an Iraqi undertaking to release all prisoners of war and all Kuwaiti nationals. John Major and George Bush agree by telephone on the suspension of Gulf Hostilities. |
| Thurs 28 Feb | President
George Bush announces an end of hostilities after a 100-hour ground war
conducted at lighting speed. He also warned that the cease-fire depended
on Iraqi agreement to not attack Coalition forces or fire any more Scuds,
otherwise the war might continue. All POWs had to be released.
UN Secretary General says he is ready to send UN peacekeepers to monitor a cease-fire. The Iraqi ambassador to the UN conveys his country's acceptance of all 12 UN resolutions to the Secretary General. Despite the lack of any official announcement, the end of the war is celebrated in Baghdad by soldiers firing thousands of rounds into the air. |
©
2002 James Paul & Martin Spirit. All rights reserved.
Copyright
Disclaimer