16
January 1991 A.D. IRAQ: Bush Waits for Deadline—Midnight. “Prepare to launch…”
Editors.
“Bush waits for deadline in Iraq.” History.com. N.d. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/bush-waits-for-deadline-in-iraq. Accessed 15 Jan
2015.
Bush waits for deadline in Iraq
On this day in 1991, President
George Herbert Walker Bush waits to see if Iraq will withdraw from Kuwait by
midnight, a deadline mandated by the United Nations, or if war will ensue.
Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein
and hard-line Iraqi nationalists did believe Kuwait should be part of Iraq, but
acquiring control of Kuwait's oil fields was Hussein's primary interest.
Control of Kuwait also represented a strategic military objective should Iraq
be forced into a war with its western-friendly Arab neighbors. Hussein
calculated, incorrectly, that the United States and the United Nations, who were closely tracking
the military buildup along Kuwait's borders, would not try to stop him. When
Iraqi ground forces entered Kuwait on August 2, 1990, President Bush
immediately proclaimed that the invasion would not stand and vowed to help
Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in their efforts to force the Iraqis from Kuwaiti land.
To that end, Bush authorized an increase in U.S. troops and resources in the
Persian Gulf in the following months.
On November 29, the United
Nations Security Council authorized the use of all means necessary to remove
Hussein's forces from Kuwait, giving Iraq the deadline of midnight on January
16 to leave or risk forcible removal. After negotiations between U.S. Secretary
of State James Baker and Iraqi Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz failed, Congress
authorized President Bush to use American troops in the coming conflict.
Just after midnight in the U.S.
on January 17, Bush gave the order for U.S. troops to lead an international
coalition in an attack on Saddam Hussein's army. U.S. General Norman
Schwarzkopf led Operation Desert Storm, which began with a massive bombing of
Hussein's armies in Iraq and Kuwait. The ensuing campaign, which is remembered
in part for the United States' use of superior military technology, introduced
the term smart bombs to the global vernacular--precision bombing devices aimed
primarily at destroying infrastructure while minimizing civilian casualties. In
response, Hussein launched SCUD missiles--notoriously inaccurate weapons
designed to terrorize civilian targets--into Saudi Arabia and Israel. He hoped
an Israeli military response would draw neighboring Arab nations into the fight
on Iraq's side. Hussein again committed a grave miscalculation: Bush reassured
Israelis that the U.S. would protect them from Hussein's SCUD attacks and
Israel resisted the urge to retaliate. The U.S. then installed Patriot
defensive missiles batteries in Israel--Patriots could destroy Iraq's SCUDs in
flight, foiling Hussein's plan to goad Israel into a holy war.
Following an intense bombing of
Baghdad, U.S.-led coalition ground forces marched into Kuwait and across the
Iraq border. Regular Iraqi troops surrendered in droves, leaving only Hussein's
hard-line Republican Guard to defend the capital. After pushing Hussein's
forces out of Kuwait, Schwarzkopf called a ceasefire on February 28 and accepted
the surrender of Iraqi generals on March 3.
No comments:
Post a Comment