Kuwait marks 20 years since first Gulf war

KUWAIT CITY - Kuwait’s cabinet Monday marked the 20th anniversary of the 1990 invasion of the country by Iraqi troops, noting that the war had a lasting impact on citizens.

Minister of Defence Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Sabah “bitterly remembered” what was called a “heinous crime” at a cabinet meeting, state-run Kuna news agency said.

The invasion by Iraq Aug 2, 1990, started a seven-month occupation of the state, during which hundreds were killed and hundreds more went missing. Many of those who disappeared during the conflict were never found.

A US-led counter-attack against Iraq in January, 1991, forced Saddam Hussein’s troops to withdraw, until Kuwait was declared “liberated” Feb 25.

Extensive damage was inflicted on Kuwait’s infrastructure, state media noted.

All the major newspapers carried stories about the war, quoting people who remember the night of the invasion, relatives of the dead and those who suffered injuries. Stories about lasting trauma were also related by citizens of the country.

Since the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, Kuwait and Baghdad have slowly been establishing closer ties. In 2008, Kuwait sent its first ambassador to the neighbouring country since 1990.

“Kuwaiti ministers reiterated their country’s support for ongoing efforts to build a new Iraq based on freedom, democracy, respect of Iraq’s sovereignty and good neighbourliness as well as abidance by international conventions and resolutions,” the cabinet said after its memorial meeting.