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Article
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The Gulf War was an armed conflict between Iraq
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and a 42-country coalition led by the United States.
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The coalition's efforts were in two phases: Operation Desert Shield, which marked the military buildup from August 1990 to January 1991;
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and Operation Desert Storm,
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from the bombing campaign against Iraq on 17 January
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until the American-led liberation of Kuwait on 28 February.
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On 2 August 1990, Iraq,
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governed by Saddam Hussein,
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invaded neighboring Kuwait and occupied the country within two days.
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The invasion was primarily over Kuwait's alleged slant drilling
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in Iraq's
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Rumaila oil field,
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and Iraq's large debt
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To Kuwait
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from the recently ended Iran–Iraq War.
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After a brief rump puppet government known as the Republic of Kuwait,
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Iraq
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Split Kuwait’s territory,
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absorbing the north into Basra Governorate,
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and establishing Kuwait Governorate in the south.
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The invasion of Kuwait was met with immediate international condemnation.
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The UN Security Council
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demanded Iraq's immediate withdrawal
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and imposed a total embargo
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on products from Iraq
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and Kuwait.
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The coalition began a military buildup in the Persian Gulf region.
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The broadest military alliance since World War II,
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its largest contributors were the United States,
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Saudi Arabia,
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the United Kingdom,
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and Egypt.
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The Security Council issued an ultimatum
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to Iraq on 29 November 1990, expiring on 15 January 1991,
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to withdraw from Kuwait, with member-states thereafter empowered to use "all necessary means" to force withdrawal.
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On 17 January, the coalition began aerial and naval bombardment
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of Iraq
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and Kuwait, which continued for five weeks.
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Iraq fired missiles
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at Israel
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and Saudi Arabia
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but failed to provoke the Israeli military response
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it hoped would split Muslim-majority countries from the coalition.
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On 24 February 1991, the coalition launched a decisive ground assault
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liberating Kuwait
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and promptly advancing into Iraqi territory.
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The coalition halted its ground advance after one hundred hours, and declared a ceasefire.
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In the war's aftermath, the Iraqi government
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suppressed a series of uprisings until 5 April 1991.
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Coalition countries responded by establishing two no-fly zones
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over Iraq's north and south.
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The United Nations Special Commission sought to end Iraq's weapons of mass destruction programs.
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In 2003, another US-led coalition
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invaded and occupied Iraq, beginning the Iraq War.
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The conflict's environmental impact included Iraqi forces
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causing over six hundred oil well fires and the largest oil spill in history until that point.
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US bombing and demolition
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of Iraqi chemical weapons facilities
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were concluded to be the primary cause of Gulf War syndrome, experienced by over 40% of US veterans.
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The conflict introduced live news broadcasts from the front lines of the battle,
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principally by American network CNN.
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It earned the nickname Video Game War,
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after the daily broadcast of images from cameras onboard American military aircraft.
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Considered the "first space war",
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the US adopted satellite-based reconnaissance, communications, and GPS navigation.
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Precision-guided munitions and a stealth aircraft,
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the F-117 Nighthawk, were novel features of the air war.
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The largest tank battles in American military history were fought,
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surpassed only by the Battle of the Bulge: the Battle of Medina Ridge, the Battle of Norfolk, and the Battle of 73 Easting.
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