Figure 1.-- Near the northern Kuwait-Iraq border, a Kuwaiti refugee family heads towards home on March 2, 1991 after being imprisoned in Iraq for a month during the war. Several hunder Kiwaistis werearrested by thE iraqis and disappeared. Note the destroyed military vehicles.

Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein bankupted Iraq by invasing Iran, leading to the a decade-long Iran-Iraq War (1980-88). Saddam demanded money from Kuwait and other Arab states to oay his mounting bills--essentially extorion mone nusing his large army as a threat. Saddam also accused Kuwait of stealing Iraqi petroleum through slant drilling, The Iraqi Army invased (August 2, 1990) in a 2-day boperation. Kuwait's small army was not capable of effective resistance. Along with the Iraqi Army came Iraqi security forces with orders to root out any opposition ro Iraqi rule. Saddam claimed that Kuwait was Iraq's lost 19th province. Saddam first set up a puppet government and then annexed it outrightm caiming it was Iraq's lost 19th province. Many Kuwaits had cars and piled into them to escape to Saido Arabia and Bahrain, The Emir of Kuwait, Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, fled to Saudi Arabian accross the desert and set ip a governmenmt in exile. His younger half brother, Sheikh Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, was shot and killed by the Iraqis as he defend Dasman Palace. The Iraqis placed his body in front of a tank and run over it. Iraqi forces were at first not vuolent toward tge civilains. Kuwai=tis were ordered to replace their Kuwaiti license plates with Iraqi ones. The Irais up an extensive system of security checkpoints to control the Kuwaiti people. Within only a few weeks, Kuwaitis began participating in non-violent resistance. People negan staying home from work and keeping their kids out of school. Kuwaitis also began printing anti-Iraqi pamphlets. The Iraqi military and security forces soon turned to repression. Some 0.4 million Luwaiti citizens fled the country. A network of safe houses was established for those who remained and joined the resistance. Iraqi security police searched the homes of those suspected of hiding foreigners or covertly smuggling money to the resistance movement. This continued intil the International Coaltion led by the United States liberated Kuwait (Jamuary 1991). Hundreds of people arrested by the Iraqis diting the 7-nonth occupation are still missing and unaccounted for. [Aljamra]

Created: 6:26 AM 7/5/2020
Last updated: 6:26 AM 7/5/2020