Persian Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War saw American intervention only after being asked to participate and aid other countries. Back in 1990, Iraq’s president Saddam Hussein attacked Kuwait with the intention of annexing the country illegally. This ended up being caused by the neighboring countries, and two thirds of the Arab League have asked the U.S. and other of their allies to help them intervene.
After the UN demanded Hussein’s withdrawal and was met with a negative response, America intervened.We officially declared war on Iraq on January 17, 1991, along with 39 other countries.While the withdrawal of Iraqi forces from Kuwait took only four days, there were more battles until the ceasefire on February 28, 1991.
This short war cost about 300 lives among the coalition forces, while Iraq reportedly lost about 8,000 to 10,000 soldiers. While it was considered a win in the eyes of many, it was what started the Iraq War due to the tensions, and it also cost around $61 billion, which adjusted for today’s inflation rounds up to around $116 billion! This was a lot for such a short-lived war.
If you’re curious about military decisions that ended up being disastrous for the troops, here are some with the direst consequences to date!
