Operation Desert Storm

What was Operation Desert Storm?

Operation Desert Storm was the name given to the military operation to liberate Kuwait.

What were the events of Operation Desert Storm?

Operation Desert Storm involved two separate forms of attack.

• ❖ The air war lasted from 17th January to 23rd February 1991. Coalition planes and helicopters attacked military targets in Kuwait and Iraq.
• ❖ The ground war lasted from 24th-28th February 1991. Coalition forces invaded Iraq and Kuwait, forcing a withdrawal by Iraqi troops.

What did the air war of Operation Desert Storm involve?

There were 4 important events of the air war of Operation Desert Storm.

• ❖ The air war lasted from 17th January to 23rd February 1991. Coalition planes and helicopters attacked military targets in Kuwait and Iraq.
• ❖ Iraq launched SCUD missiles on Israel, to win Arab support by provoking an attack by Israel .
• ❖ Iraqis blew up Kuwaiti oil wells and poured crude oil into the Persian Gulf.
• ❖ Iraq also invaded Khafji in Saudi Arabia, but was driven out by coalition forces.

What did the ground war of Operation Desert Storm involve?

The ground war of Desert Storm lasted from 24th-28th February 1991 when coalition forces invaded Iraq and Kuwait. This forced a withdrawal by Iraqi troops.

• ❖ The invasion of coalition forces led to Saddam Hussein ordering a retreat of Iraqi forces from Kuwait.
• ❖ Coalition bombing on the 'Highway of Death' - a motorway that connected Kuwait City to Basra - killed about 10,000 Iraqis.
• ❖ The US Army destroyed 186 Iraqi tanks and 127 armoured vehicles during the Battle of Medina Ridge.
• ❖ On 28th February President Bush declared a ceasefire and announced Kuwait had been liberated. Many in the American government wanted to capture Iraq, but the coalition's Arab allies would not have supported this.