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Persian Gulf War – Operation Iraqi Freedom. Iraq invades Kuwait. Iraq accused Kuwait of “slant drilling” and stealing Iraqi oil Iraq invaded on August 2 and defeated Kuwait in 2 days. UN Response. Economic sanctions were immediately placed on Iraq
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Iraq invades Kuwait • Iraq accused Kuwait of “slant drilling” and stealing Iraqi oil • Iraq invaded on August 2 and defeated Kuwait in 2 days
UN Response • Economic sanctions were immediately placed on Iraq • UN originally wanted to protect Saudi Arabia in operation Desert Shield • Operation Desert Storm changed the mission to the expulsion of Iraq from Kuwait on January 16, 1991
Iraqi Defeat • Iraqi Army lost 85,000 soldiers • Baghdad was heavily damaged during the fighting • Highway of Death • Fleeing Iraqi forces were in line on the highway • US helicopters and airplanes continuously bombed the road
Interwar years • Saddam refused to obey the peace agreement • Economic sanctions were placed on Iraq • Iraq was required to dismantle its WMD program • Iraq was made to allow weapons inspectors
Inspections • October 29, 1997 Iraq barred weapon inspectors • January, 1998 Iraq accuses a weapons inspection team of spying for America • October, 1998 Iraq refuses to cooperate anymore with weapons inspections • November, 1998 Iraq agrees to let weapons inspectors back in
Inspections • December, 1998 US bombs sites in Iraq to force them to comply • March, 2000 Hans Blix takes over command of inspections • 2002 • Iraq tells UN Blix can come talk to them but not inspect • In November Saddam says he will comply with weapons inspections • UN adopts a resolution to demilitarize Iraq • November, 2002 Blix again starts inspecting sites
Road to War • UN Resolution required a formal document by Iraq illustrating its weapons program • US and GB believe Iraq lied about the document it produced • Saddam postures for war declaring the UN inspectors were “friends and helpers of Satan”