War of the Gulf (1990-1991)

See also: War of the Gulf

The second war of the Gulf (the 1st war of the gulf generally indicating the War Iran-Iraq), also called war of the Kuwait , is a conflict which opposed the Iraq to a coalition of 34 States, supported by the United Nations between 1990 and 1991. The foreseeable victory of the coalition involved the release of the Kuwait, whose invasion of 1990 by the Iraqi armies had caused the release of the conflict.

The coalition used its air supremacy to destroy the military structure (and also largely industrial) of the Iraq. Then a terrestrial attack limited starting from the Saudi Arabia pulverized the armed forces opposite them and the very reduced losses compared to the forecasts of the coalition were due to a quarter per mistake.

Causes of the conflict

The Iraq very weakened by the Guerre Iran-Iraq owes of large money sums with some of its Arab neighbors in particular fifteen billion dollars with the Kuwait, country with which the Iraq maintains bad relations since its creation in 1932 because it stops to him most of the Persian Gulf.

In 1961 a first attempt of the general Kassem failed, since the country became an economic power thanks to its oil. There the Iraq of Saddam Hussein seeing a good manners to réenrichir and take again influence after its defeat vis-a-vis its neighbor, it is also a good way of using its army which is to him very expensive.

Unfolding

See also: Chronology of the War of Kuwait (1990-1991), Insurrection in Iraq of 1991

One can distinguish four phases:

  • the invasion of the Kuwait by the Iraq starting from the August 2nd 1990;
  • military preparations combined during the autumn 1990 (operation Serves Shield , Bouclier of the desert);
  • the war itself (operation Serves Storm '', Tempête of the desert), in 3 parts:
    • air preparation (January 16th - February 1991)
    • offensive the 100 hours (at the end of February 1991)
    • sabotage of the oil wells by the Iraqi soldiers (25- February 27th 1991)
  • post-war period: spring 1991, Kurdish massacre of the S and the Shiite S which the coalition had encouraged to revolt against Saddam.

Manpower of the belligerents

Manpower and equipment of the Iraqi Armed in Kuwait and in the area:
  • : 530000 men
  • : 2600 tanks T-72, T-62, T-55 (on 4000)
  • : 1500 pieces of artillery (on: 2700)
  • : 1700 armored vehicles (on: 2500)
  • 240 fighters (on 500)

Manpower of the coalition: : 938050 men

Consequences

Losses

The " fog of guerre" returns the estimates of the very approximate Iraqi human losses.

Iraqi military losses

  • : 100000 died according to the Coalition: 20000 died and: 60000 wounded according to the Iraq, between: 3000 and: 5000 died and between: 8000 and: 15000 wounded according to several experts. : 175000 prisoner of war announced at the end of the conflict, quantifies revalued with: 86000 of which: 2500 wounded.

  • 139 planes (more 114 refugees in Iran), 8 helicopters, 74 boats: 2089 tanks, 856 freight vehicles: 2140 pieces of artillery.

Allied military losses

On the whole, in all the operation " Serves Storm " , the allied losses with the combat included/understood 240 dead and 776 wounded, that it is advisable to add with the 138 killed soldiers and: 2978 wounded except combat, in various accidents, since " Serves Shield " ; 41 allied soldiers were in addition prisoners of the Iraqis.

  • the United States: 148 died, 458 wounded, 60 planes (34 shot down, 26 victims), 15 helicopters, 18 Tank M1 Abrams, 20 VCI Bradley, 1 part of Artillery and two ships (US Tripoli and US Princeton) put out of combat by mines.

  • the United Kingdom: 6 died, 6 wounded, 7 planes.
  • Saudi Arabia: 18 died, 20 wounded, 2 planes.
  • Contingent Arabs: 13 died, 43 wounded.
  • France: 2 died, 27 wounded.
  • Italy: 1 plane.
  • Senegal: 8 wounded.

Civil losses

  • Iraq: no official figure. : 50000 with: 130000 dead of which approximately: 30000 in the Civil war after the Cease-fire
  • Kuwait: : 1082 died during the conflict, 625 missings, 400 killed by explosive devices in 1991 (duration estimated for a total mine clearance: 20 years), thousands of casualties.
  • Jordan: 14 dead, 26 wounded (drivers theheavy ones taken in the bombardments combined on the road Am)
  • Israel: 2 died and 304 wounded by shooting of Iraqi Scud on the country which remained neutral, it is necessary to add 20 deaths by cardiac arrests
  • Saudi Arabia: 2 died, 76 wounded

To note that the use of Uranium impoverished by the Coalition relates to polemic to the health of the soldiers of the 2 camps and the local population.

Cost of the conflict

The military economic losses, expenditure and the ecological consequences of this relatively short conflict but of high intensity are enormous.

Financial costs

  • Iraq: 500 billion dollars of destruction for acts of war since 1980 by including the War Iran-Iraq (300 billion military destruction and 200 of civil destruction), plus 200 of repairs due to Iran and Kuwait. The debt concerning the foreign suppliers exceeding the 50 billion was mainly unobtrusive after the fall of the mode of Saddam Hussein in 2003.

  • Kuwait: 20 billion $ of destruction.

  • the United States: 61,1 billion military dollars of expenditure, of which 43,1 was refunded by countries allied (Saudi Arabia: 16,8; Kuwait: 11,1; Japan: 9,4; Germany: 6,6; Emirates: 4; South Korea: 0,17; other states: 0,02)

  • Saudi Arabia: 60 billion expenditure military and economic aids.

  • France: 1,2 billion $ of military expenditure, plus losses of exports in Iraq estimated at 3 billion.

  • the United Kingdom: 1,23 billion $ of military expenditure, 1,7 billion economic losses.

  • Turkey: 7 billion $ economic losses, 2,4 billion assistance on behalf of Saudi Arabia, of Kuwait, of Germany and the EEC.

  • Jordan: 3 to 4 billion economic losses

  • the whole of the Arab nations estimated on the whole the financial losses at 800 billion $.

Ecological cost

In addition to the destruction due to any military conflict and medical impact of the Uranium depleted, there was a regional ecological disaster which had with the fire of 732 Kuwaiti oil wells by the Iraqi forces which wanted to thus darken the sky in the idea to obstruct the flying activity of the Coalition and to harm the worldwide economy.

On the southern quarter of Kuwait, a black smoke rose with 600 meters of the ground. The visibility was reduced by 25 to 4 km in the area and there be a fall of the temperature until - 10°C. The weather conditions were modified up to 500 km with the round. Traces of smoke were found on the Himalayas. The last well was extinct on November 6th, 1991.

An oil slick due to the voluntary opening of the terminal of Mina Al Ahmadi by Iraq the January 21st 1991 made that 100.000 tons of crude oil were spread in the Persian Gulf and polluted the Kuwaiti coasts, Saoudi and Iranian. A bombardment carried out by F-111 of USAF to limit the flow of the crude and to set fire to oil as well as the measurements taken such as floating booms limited the damage.

Notes and references of the article

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