Explainer on 1990 Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait

The Invasion of Kuwait began on August 2, 1990 when Ba'athist-controlled Iraq moved troops into the Emirate of Kuwait. Two days after the Iraqi occupation began, the Kuwait Armed Forces were defeated and Saddam Hussein, the President of Iraq at that time, declared Kuwait as the 19th Province of Iraq. The conflict lasted for seven months.

Iraq-Kuwait Relations Before the Invasion
Kuwait became an independent nation in 1961, a move that the Iraqi government did not support. The country claimed that Kuwait had been created by British imperialism and that it was indeed, an extension of Iraq. Since Kuwait's independence, Iraq had tried on several occasions to claim the nation as Iraqi territory. The Arab League prevented an invasion in 1961, however, in 1973, Iraq occupied an area along the border between the two countries. The government of Saudi Arabia opposed the invasion, and Iraqi forces were eventually withdrawn.

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