The legacies of the Iraq war

Just after midnight on Aug. 2, 1990, an invasion force of about 100,000 Iraqi troops crossed into Kuwait. The Kuwaiti military, outnumbered and taken by surprise, was swiftly routed. By nightfall that first day, the country's main bases and international airport were in Iraqi hands, as was the palace of the emir, who narrowly escaped to Saudi Arabia. Within 48 hours, the occupation of Kuwait was largely complete.