Aref purges the government of Ba’ath party, including President al-Bakr. Iran-Iraq war ends in a stalemate. An estimated 1.5 million died in the conflict (Aug. 20). The UN imposes economic sanctions on Iraq (Aug 6). U.S. military forces arrive in Saudi Arabia (Aug. 9). The UN issues a Security Council resolution setting Jan. 15, 1991, as the deadline for Iraq’s withdrawal from Kuwait, authorizing the use of “all necessary means” if it does not comply (Nov. 29). Ground forces invade Kuwait and Iraq, vanquish the Iraqi army, and liberate Kuwait. President George H. W. Bush declares a cease-fire on the fourth day (Feb. 24–28). Shiites and Kurds rebel, encouraged by the United States. Iraq quashes the rebellions, killing thousands (March). Formal cease-fire is signed. Saddam Hussein accepts UN resolution agreeing to destroy weapons of mass destruction and allowing UN inspectors to monitor the disarmament (April 6). A no-fly zone is established in Northern Iraq to protect the Kurds from Saddam Hussein (April 10). UN weapons inspectors report that Iraq has concealed much of its nuclear and chemical weapons programs. It is the first of many such reports over the next decade, pointing out Iraq’s thwarting of the UN weapons inspectors (July 30). U.S. launches cruise missile on Baghdad, after Iraq attempts to assassinate President George H. W. Bush while he visited Kuwait (June 27). Iraq expels American members of the UN inspection team (Nov. 13). UN secretary-general Kofi Annan brokers a peaceful solution to the standoff. Over the next months Baghdad continued to impede the UN inspection team, demanding that sanctions be lifted (Feb. 23). Saddam Hussein puts a complete halt to the inspections (Oct. 31). Iraq agrees to unconditional cooperation with the UN inspectors (Nov. 14), but by a month later, chief UN weapons inspector Richard Butler reports that Iraq has not lived up to its promise (Dec. 15). The United States and Britain began four days of intensive air strikes, dubbed Operation Desert Fox. The attacks focused on command centers, missile factories, and airfields—targets that the Pentagon believed would damage Iraq’s weapons stores (Dec. 16–19).
