Persian Gulf War

Persian Gulf War. , At the break of dawn on August 2, 1990, Iraqi troops under the leadership of Saddam Hussein invaded the tiny neighboring nation of Kuwait, occupying strategic posts throughout the country. The Kuwaiti army was quickly overwhelmed, though they bought enough time for the Kuwaiti air force to flee to Saudi Arabia. In the autumn of 1990, the United Nations passed a series of resolutions demanding that Iraq withdraw unconditionally from Kuwait by January 15, 1991. By that time, 500,000 allied forces, chiefly from the United States, Saudi Arabia, Great Britain, Egypt, Syria, and France were arrayed against an Iraqi army estimated to number 540,000. , On January 16, 1991, the multi-national coalition began aerial bombardment of military targets in Iraq and Kuwait, disabling Iraq's command and control centers. Then coalition forces began intensive fighting with Iraq's infantry and republican guard along the border of Iraq and Kuwait. By mid-February, with its casualties rapidly mounting, Iraq signaled its willingness to withdraw from Kuwait. Iraqi representatives accepted allied terms for a truce on March 3 and a permanent cease-fire was signed on April 6, 1991. The United States lost 345 troops in the conflict.