On August 2nd 1990, Iraqi forces marched into Kuwaiti territories, starting an invasion that would last for months to come. The invasion ended with utter defeat to the Iraqi forces at the hands of United Nations coalition forces, led by the United States, and Kuwait was liberated officially on February 26th.
This invasion period however brought it with massive financial and human losses. For before the Iraqi forces left, they had already sat 600 Kuwaiti oil wells on fire.
During the invasion as well, about 1,000 Kuwaities were killed, and over 300,000 residents fled the country. But that wasn't all. Iraqi forces didn't leave Kuwait empty handed. For they have arrested thousands of Kuwaities and foreigners. An estimate puts the number at 22,000 total! Many were brutally tortured, and some still live the post traumatic stress disorder till this day. More than 6,000 of those prisoners were sent to Iraq. And while most of these were freed in March after the ceasefire, 605 remained missing until massive graves were dug up years later.
My aunt was only newly wed when her husband was taken captive and sent to Iraq. She couldn't reach him for info or hear from him. Until years later, after Saddam Hussain's capture, during massive grave dig up, his body remains were found and was confirmed by DNA. He died not knowing that his wife was bearing their first child. And the daughter grew up never knowing her father. This is just one of hundreds of stories to tell of the damage inflected during these few months of invasion.
At the newly opened Shaheed Park in Kuwait (Arabic for Martyrs Park), is built a martyrs memorial wall for all those Kuwaities that have lost their lives during the invasion.
