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Iraq invades Kuwait
Saddam Hussein sent his troops into Kuwait because he said that Kuwait was stealing oil from Iraq. -
U.N. imposes a trade embargo with Iraq
The U.N. told Saddam Hussein that he needed to remove his troops from Kuwait. The U.N. imposed economic sanctions on Iraq. -
Operation Desert Shield begins
President George Bush sends U.S. troops to Saudi Arabia to protect them against a possible Iraqi invasion. -
U.K. and France send 10,000 troops to the Gulf
The United Kingdom and France send additional troops to support the U.N. and the United States. -
U.N. tells Iraq to get out of Kuwait by Jan. 15, 1991
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Operation Desert Storm begins
Operation Desert Storm begins with air warfare against the Iraqi military. This coalition effort is led by U.S. Army General H. Norman Schwarzkopf. -
Iraq bombs Israel
Iraq shoots scud missiles at Israel, a U.S. ally. -
Iraq attacks Kuwaiti oil wells
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Iraq starts pumping Kuwait's oil into the Gulf
This was a form of environmental warfare. Iraq purposefully dumped oil into the Persian Gulf. -
1st ground battle in Khafji, Saudi Arabia
Allied forces won. There were more than 2,000 Iraqi soldiers killed and about 400 taken prisoner. -
U.S. troop numbers > 500,000
U.S. has over one-half million soldiers in the Gulf in support of Operation Desert Storm. -
Allied forces bomb Baghdad
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President Bush gives Iraq 24 hrs to leave Kuwait
President George W. Bush tells Suddam Hussein that if he doesn't leave Kuwait within 24 hours, he will order the start of a ground war. -
Ground war against Iraq begins
This image shows the four phases of the Allied advance against the Iraqi troops. -
Iraq withdraws from Kuwait
As they retreated, the Iraqi military ignited over 600 oil wells and dumped 400 million gallons of crude oil into the Persian Gulf. Damage done to Kuwait was estimated at over $30 billion. -
Gulf War ends
President Bush declares Gulf War over. The cease fire plan was drafted on March 1, 1991 and accepted by Saddam Hussein on March 3, 1991. The entire war lasted about 100 hours.
