Persian Gulf War - Words In The News - Brief Article

Current Events, Sept 5, 2003

Persian Gulf War (Special Report, page 3). Also known as Operation Desert Storm, this 1991 war was between Iraq and a coalition of forces assembled mainly by the United States and the United Nations. Iraq's leader, Saddam Hussein, had ordered his troops to invade oil-rich Kuwait in August 1990. Nearby Persian Gulf states became concerned that Iraq also might attack them and asked the United Nations and the United States to intervene.

U.S. President George H.W. Bush and others in a coalition of 39 countries sent troops to the area to face the military threat. When Iraq failed to meet the January' 15, 1991, deadline for leaving Kuwait, the coalition attacked the Iraqi forces, starting with massive air and missile attacks. The allies drove Iraqi forces out of Kuwait within about two months.