Kuwait Liberated: Coalition Victory Ends Gulf War
President George H.W. Bush declared Kuwait liberated on February 27, 1991, ending Iraq's seven-month occupation after a coalition ground offensive that lasted exactly 100 hours. The speed of the victory stunned military analysts: Iraqi forces, the world's fourth-largest army, collapsed in days under the combined weight of American armor, precision air strikes, and a flanking maneuver through the Iraqi desert that cut off retreat routes. Over 80,000 Iraqi soldiers surrendered. Kuwait's liberation was followed by Saddam Hussein's brutal suppression of Shia and Kurdish uprisings that the US had encouraged but refused to support with military force. Bush chose not to pursue regime change, citing the coalition's limited UN mandate. The decision haunted his presidency and was reversed by his son twelve years later. The US established permanent military bases in Saudi Arabia, a presence that became Osama bin Laden's primary grievance against the American government.
February 27, 1991
35 years ago
Key Figures & Places
President of the United States
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George H. W. Bush
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Gulf War
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Kuwait
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Gulf War
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George H. W. Bush
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Kuwait
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Iraq
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United Nations Security Council
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Liste des résolutions du Conseil de sécurité des Nations unies
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Opération des Nations unies en Côte d'Ivoire
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Résolution 19 du Conseil de sécurité des Nations unies
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Détroit de Corfou
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Ali Mohamed al-Zinkawi
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Lancer du marteau
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فاطمة الربيعي
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