1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait

25 years ago, on August 2, 1990, Iraqi forces captured Kuwait. Earlier, on July 18, Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein accused Kuwait of illegal extraction of Iraqi oil from a border field. In compensation, Kuwait had to forgive the $14 billion Iraqi debt and pay another $2.5 billion. The Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmed al-Jaber al-Sabah, rejected these demands. On August 1, Iraq broke off negotiations with Kuwait that had barely begun.

On August 2, at 2 am, an Iraqi grouping of 120,000 soldiers and 350 tanks invaded Kuwait. Half an hour before the start of the offensive, Iraqi special forces landed from helicopters on the Dasman Palace to capture the Emir of Kuwait, but the Emir's guards repelled the attack. This gave the Emir the opportunity to fly by helicopter to Saudi Arabia. At 5:00, the main forces of the Iraqi army pulled up to the palace. The battle for the palace continued until the end of the day on August 2, when the ruined palace was captured and looted. The Emir's younger brother Fahad al-Ahmed al-Jaber was killed in the battle. Elsewhere, the Iraqis met little resistance.

According to the official version, the Iraqi forces allegedly contributed to the "revolution" staged by the Kuwaiti military. On August 8, Kuwait was annexed by Iraq.