The scenes of what took place after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990

The scenes of what took place after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990


British press reports revealed that Britain was about to send its own troops to confront the former Iraqi president, Saddam Hussein.

The newspaper "The Guardian" British published a collection of documents and new documents released from the scenes of what took place, after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990.

Those documents revealed that the head of the late Minister, Margaret Thatcher, was preparing to take down units of special forces to Kuwait, but not to save its diplomatic mission, but to provide them with supplies and food necessary for their survival in the besieged British Embassy.

The story began after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in August 1990, where Saddam Hussein granted the British Embassy and all foreign embassies in Kuwait deadline 3 weeks to move all their operations to the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

But British diplomats and all other embassies have refused to comply with the deadline, which Saddam Hussein paid to besiege those embassies and preventing supplies and supplies to force them either to leave or transfer their activities to Baghdad.

And began virtually all supplies of water, food and fuel from running out of the British embassy in Kuwait, in the period leading up to the Gulf War in September 1990.

And then he asked for Thatcher Percy Craddock, foreign affairs adviser to the veteran has, to investigate the possibility of using British special forces, to re-supply the embassy, ​​where he lived four diplomats, including ambassador supplies.

Despite the considerable fortifications that were enjoyed by the embassy, ​​high walls, ranging from 3 to 4 meters, topped by barbed wire, but Britain was afraid of the reaction of the Iraqi forces.

Said Craddock, then the prime minister, "there are tight on the embassy's control outside of the Iraqi infantry forces, and the diplomatic mission last them supplies for about 50 days until the end of October, yet they desperately need additional supplies of water, food and fuel."

He added, "We have discussed the possibility of using special forces in a military operation, but the military opinion was that the risks associated with that process will be much greater than the benefits, they were mines on the beaches, and Iraq had an air defense forces intensively in Kuwait, the Iraqi boats, naval patrols, we did not have any support submarine near Kuwait, was the issue of destructive feet or a frigate to approach the Kuwaiti coast pose a significant risk. "

He also pointed out that the issue of projection Parachutist for members of the special forces, they would be impractical, because they should be carried out by a helicopter, and it was unlikely to emerge from Kuwaiti territory if they proceeded to move, and they will cause to expose the whole process and the threat of the four diplomats existing embassy, ​​which could result in retaliation against them fatal.

The documents that the other idea was put forward to Thatcher, not a claim Kuwaiti resistance to drop small amounts of supplies behind the walls at night.

But he explained that because of the intense security at embassies, this is very difficult and dangerous.

Only the British they did not face the crisis, but the Americans, Germans and French diplomats as well, and then published the "Downing Street" telegram on 3 November 1990 confirmed it: Our man in Kuwait, confirms that he has hot dogs are very few in his kitchen, and they suffer from an acute shortage of resources.

She published the letter, saying that "the diplomatic mission to the possibility of eating just one meal a day of rice and pasta alternately, and we have currently only tuna cans tomato paste, taken from some of the workers, no longer able to make bread because of the flour run out."

The continued siege of the British Embassy until 16 December, prior to transfer its activities to Baghdad, as a prelude to the beginning of Operation "Desert Storm", which was launched in January, to force the Iraqis out of Kuwait.


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