Gulf War One

Despite losing an eight-year war with Iran in 1988, Iraq remained the region's dominant military power. With missiles and nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, Saddam's war-experienced army comprised 260,000 troops and 2,000 tanks. But his 1990 invasion of Kuwait ended with the most efficient war victory in US history. It was the first war for the US since Vietnam, with the UK its largest non-Arab ally, and the first war fought over a resource: oil. A new 'high tech' war, it had a total of only 146 US casualties u yet health problems have since dogged thousands of coalition soldiers, and uncounted thousands of Iraqi soldiers were killed. And following the protracted suffering of the Iraq invasion and nation-building operation over a decade later, many feel it was all for nothing a Hugh McManners' original interviews for Gulf War One u with combatants from both sides; Kuwait, Iraqi and Saudi citizens; military planners and politicians; human shield hostages and Gulf War Syndrome sufferers u allow those both serving and caught up in the war to tell its history in their own words.