When nations pass through a historical juncture that puts their fate at stake, geopolitical factors may play a vital role in overcoming adversity.

Kuwait and its people made their history recorded with faith in their unbreakable homeland considered victorious given the liberation of their country from the brutal Iraqi invasion on February 26, 1991.

With the occurrence of the brutal Iraqi invasion on the morning of the second of August 1990, the people of Kuwait called to uphold the voice of truth and legitimacy, and that aggression, no matter how forced, will end in accordance with the UN Charter.

It is true that the Kuwaiti right was necessitated by Kuwait’s unique visions, its exemplary relations and its excellent foreign policy, however it cannot be forgotten the role of the rational leadership of Kuwait and its men, women and children who played historical and pivotal roles in consolidating the Kuwaiti right in international forums and carrying Kuwait’s message therein.

The efforts were led by the late Amir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the late Amir Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah, and the late Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, and others whose input were recorded, each according to his position, in the return of Kuwait to its people.

With the first moments of the invasion, Kuwait raised its case in international and regional forums and mobilized global support for it in the UN Security Council (UNSC) and in the meeting of foreign ministers of non-aligned countries that was held on the sidelines of the meeting of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on October fifth, 1990.

Kuwait affirmed at the time that the Iraqi occupation represented a flagrant violation of the UN Charter and the principles of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).

It urged members to condemn the aggression and continue their support for the principled positions taken by the international community, represented by commitment and full compliance with UNSC resolutions towards the Iraqi aggression and support Kuwait’s efforts to achieve the withdrawal of Iraqi forces from its territory, the return of the legitimate government to the country and the demand of the aggressor to pay all compensation for what they caused to the economic and social environment in Kuwait in terms of destruction, losses, and the money that was looted.

Indeed, the UNSC held an emergency session based on the wish of several countries on August 3, 1990, then at the end of it, resolution 660 was issued condemning the Iraqi invasion, calling for Iraq’s immediate and unconditional withdrawal from Kuwaiti lands and the return of legitimacy to its people.

The US and the Soviet Union announced in a statement their condemnation of the invasion and demanded that Iraq withdraw its forces immediately from Kuwait, while the 19th session of foreign ministers of Islamic countries, during its meeting in Cairo, also issued a statement calling for the withdrawal of Iraqi forces from Kuwaiti territory, as the ambassadors of NAM agreed during their meeting in New York on the denouncing the invasion and demanding Iraq’s immediate withdrawal.

The US also submitted a new draft resolution to the UNSC to impose comprehensive economic and military sanctions against Iraq to force it to withdraw from Kuwait without restrictions or conditions, in implementation of the UNSC resolution that it adopted hours after the invasion.

The UNSC approved the draft resolution submitted by the US after amending it, the UNSC issued resolution 661 on August sixth, which is the second after the invasion, and affirmed the Council’s determination to end the occupation of Kuwait and restore its sovereignty and safety.

The developments necessitated opening the door for peace-loving countries to send troops to the region, then immediately, contacts took place between various world capitals to mobilize an international coalition, especially after the UNSC issued a third resolution number 662, in which the UN confirmed its rejection of Iraq’s decision to annex Kuwait and considered it invalid, therefore the decision was annulled and demanded that all countries, international organizations and specialized agencies not recognize this annexation.

The vanguards of Arab and international forces also began to arrive in Saudi lands to form the international coalition to liberate Kuwait, while the UNSC issued its fourth resolution on the Iraqi invasion bearing the number 664 and reaffirmed the invalidity of Kuwait’s annexation to Iraq.

Soon after, the UNSC issued resolution 674 against Iraq, and the five major countries agreed on a draft resolution that would allow the use of military force against Iraq if it did not withdraw from Kuwait.

At the end of November 1990, the UNSC issued several resolutions in connection to Iraq, the first of which was resolution 677, which warned Iraq of the consequences of its attempts to obliterate the identity of Kuwait and settle Iraqis in place of Kuwaiti citizens, and underlined the importance of keeping smuggled copies of the population register in Kuwait.

The UNSC also issued resolution 678, which authorizes all necessary means to ensure compliance with previous resolutions and gives Iraq until January 15, 1991 to withdraw its forces from Kuwait, otherwise it will face the danger of war with the international coalition forces arrayed against it.

Following the issuance of UNSC resolution 678, which stipulates the use of military force against Iraq, the pace of events accelerated, and at dawn on January 17, 1991, the coalition forces began their major attack on Iraqi military and strategic sites in Kuwait and Iraq, as a prelude to the liberation of Kuwait.

This included an air attack on Iraqi military installations and bases, command and control centers, public facilities, bridges, water and electricity stations, as well as 60 military bases.

After that, the countries of the international coalition began to prepare for their ground attack on the Iraqi forces in Kuwait, as the late US President George Bush gave the green light to the commander of the coalition forces, the late General Norman Schwarzkopf, to launch the ground attack, and the decision was taken moments before the deadline that the allies and the UN had set to withdraw Iraq forces from Kuwait.

On February 24, 1991, the international coalition forces began their ground attack on the Iraqi forces in Kuwait, and the forces consisting of 30 countries, reinforced with the latest mechanisms, attacked and destroyed the Iraqi forces in Kuwaiti lands, and soon the Iraqi army collapsed under the weight of the strikes of the international forces towards Kuwait City, which returned to its people free after about seven months of occupation.

Source: Kuwait News Agency