Invasion of Kuwait

The Invasion of Kuwait, also known as the Iraq-Kuwait War, was a major conflict between the Ba'athist Iraq and the State of Kuwait, which resulted in the seven-month long Iraqi occupation of Kuwait, and subsequently led to direct military intervention by American-led forces in the Persian Gulf War, and the torching of 600 Kuwaiti oil wells.
In 1990, Iraq accused Kuwait of stealing Iraqi petroleum through slant drilling, although some^[who?] Iraqi sources indicated Saddam Hussein’s decision to attack Kuwait was made only a few months before the actual invasion.^[7] Some^[who?] feel there were several reasons for the Iraqi move, including Iraq's inability to pay more than $80 billion that had been borrowed to finance the Iran-Iraq war and Kuwaiti overproduction of petroleum which kept revenues down for Iraq.^[8] The invasion started on 2 August 1990, and within two days of intense combat, most of the Kuwaiti Armed Forces were either overrun by the Iraqi Republican Guard or escaped to neighboring Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. The state of Kuwait was annexed, and Hussein announced in a few days that it was the 19th province of Iraq.

Invasion of Kuwait
Part of the Persian Gulf War
Date 2–4 August 1990 Location Kuwait Result Iraqi victory Iraqi-backed puppet state installed Kuwaiti resistance movement formed[1] Start of the Persian Gulf War
Belligerents
Iraq	Kuwait
Commanders and leaders
Saddam Hussein Ali Hassan al-Majid	Jaber III
Strength
100,000+[2][3]	16,000[4]
Casualties and losses
37+ aircraft (est.). Other losses N/A	20 aircraft lost, 200 KIA,[5] 600 POWs[6]