August 2, 1990 · Kuwait Theater
August 2, 1990
In the predawn hours of August 2, 1990, four Iraqi Republican Guard divisions — 100,000 troops with 700 tanks — crossed the Kuwaiti border and seized the emirate in under twelve hours. The Kuwaiti army of 16,000 was overwhelmed. Emir Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah fled to Saudi Arabia. Iraqi forces executed Kuwaiti soldiers and civilians who resisted, and within days began systematically looting hospitals, banks, and the national museum. The invasion shocked the world and triggered one of the largest diplomatic and military mobilizations in modern history.
Commanders