a war from 15 January to 28 February 1991 between Iraq and the United Nations Security Forces, which included British and US soldiers. The war started after Saddam Hussein had refused to take his soldiers out of Kuwait, which they had occupied illegally in August 1990. The UN troops forced the Iraqi army out of Kuwait and destroyed many of their military weapons, but not before the Iraqis had set fire to many Kuwaiti oil wells, causing great damage to the environment.
See also Desert Shield , Desert Storm .