Iko betrayed me.

In the history of human war, if there is a war in front of the TV screen of hundreds of millions of viewers; If there is a war at a well-known time and place, it is like watching a scheduled football match; If a war is won or lost in advance, it is the Gulf War. The Gulf War was caused by Iraq's annexation of Kuwait, a weak country. Kuwait and Iraq are both Arab brothers and belonged to the Arab Empire in the Middle Ages. Later, during the Ottoman Empire, Kuwait was classified as a county in Basra province. With the decline of the Ottoman Empire, the areas under its jurisdiction were gradually carved up by western powers and became colonies and semi-colonies. In the 1930s. King Faisal, who ruled Iraq, proposed to form a union with Kuwait, but Kuwait refused. 196 1 year, Kuwait declared its independence from Britain, and Iraq believed that Kuwait should be part of its Basra province and refused to recognize it. 1963 The Iraqi Baath Party, which came to power, recognized Kuwait's independence and established diplomatic relations with it, but some of its borders have not yet been demarcated. 1968, the two countries negotiated on the border issue, but there was no result. 1973 and 1974, there were two armed conflicts between the two countries due to territorial disputes. After that, the smoke of the Iran-Iraq war temporarily concealed the contradiction between Iraq and Kuwait. During the Iran-Iraq war, Kuwait has been secretly assisting Iraq, and together with Saudi Arabia and other countries, it has provided more than 40 billion US dollars in assistance to Iraq. Why will they turn against each other after a few years? People look at the situation in Iraq and Saddam after the Iran-Iraq war, and the answer is not difficult to find. Although Kuwait is a tiny place with an area of only 1.7 million square kilometers and a population of 1.9 million, it is one of the richest countries in the world. However, after the ceasefire between Iran and Iraq, Iraq is in urgent need of funds. Iraq's million-strong army could not chew Iran, so Saddam made up his mind to annex Kuwait, a small country in the south. Kuwait's strategic position in the Gulf, especially Bubiyan Island and Warb Island, has long been Iraq's dream goal, which can provide Iraq with a Gulf export base that is not threatened by Iran. Kuwait's rich oil resources and hundreds of billions of dollars of overseas investment have already made Saddam salivate. Of course, Saddam's eyes are not only in Kuwait, but he also wants to be the "Salahuddin" that once flourished in the history of the Arab Empire. 1990 since late July, Saddam Hussein has deliberately created troubles, accusing the Gulf countries of over-exploitation of oil and depressing oil prices, which has caused huge economic losses to Iraq. Then, Saddam named and accused Kuwait of exploiting oil in the disputed Rumaila area and "stealing" $2.4 billion of Iraqi crude oil. Saddam also asked Kuwait to cede Bubiyan Island and Warbu Island to Iraq. Then, Iraq's 65,438+10,000 troops went south, and the situation on the Kuwaiti border and the Gulf was as full of gunpowder as before the war between Iran and Iraq. Iraq threatened, and the Arab League countries quickly came out to mediate. At the Arab League meeting in Cairo, Arab countries urged Kuwait and Iran to respect each other and settle their disputes peacefully. However, Iraq insisted that Kuwait hand over the Rumaila oil field and demanded compensation of $2.4 billion from Kuwait. Iraq is really deceiving others, and Kuwait is unwilling to retreat endlessly. So Iraqi Foreign Minister Aziz and Kuwaiti Emir Sabah swore at each other at the meeting, and the representatives of other countries were at a loss when they saw this scene and rushed to dissuade them. Maybe he is still addicted to scolding. Aziz suddenly stood up, grabbed the glass and threw it at Sabah's head. Sabah hurriedly cocked his head to avoid blood. Sabah has always been bitter about this kind of revenge. After the Gulf War, Sabah also swore to heaven that he would seek Aziz's revenge for this cup. The intense mediation work of Arab countries continues. Egyptian President Mubarak made a special trip to Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia at the end of July. He received a verbal promise from President Saddam Hussein: "Iraq will not attack Kuwait." Both Saudi Arabia and Kuwait breathed a sigh of relief at the news. 1 In August, under the mediation of King Fahd of Saudi Arabia, Ibrahim, Vice Chairman of Iraqi Revolutionary Command Committee, and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Saad of Kuwait successively came to Jeddah, the eastern port city of Saudi Arabia. Although the talks did not eliminate their differences, the statement issued after the talks indicated that the two countries would meet again in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, in early August to further discuss ways to resolve the dispute. The Jeddah talks at least left the world with the impression that Iraq was not prepared to use force, but this was only a smoke bomb put by Saddam Hussein. 1at 2 am on August 2, 990, several soldiers of the Kuwaiti army were roaming in their sleep, and 65,438+10,000 Iraqi soldiers invaded Kuwait in two ways. KLA is unprepared and defenseless. Witnesses saw Iraqi vanguard troops wearing Kuwaiti military uniforms and tanks painted with the KLA logo. The Kuwaiti border guards thought it was a friendly neighbor and did not stop it. Without any resistance, the Iraqi vanguard troops went straight along the coastal highway and captured Kuwait City in one fell swoop. When Iraqi tanks surrounded Sabah Palace on a sunny morning, the Kuwaiti people thought that KLA had increased its troops to guard the palace. They didn't understand what had happened until there were rumbling guns and smoke over the palace. The invasion of Iraqi troops caused panic in Kuwait. Members of the Kuwaiti royal family ran away, and wealthy businessmen ran away. Even some officers and men crossed the border and ran to Saudi Arabia. However, the Kuwaiti soldiers and civilians who fought bloody battles stubbornly resisted the invaders, and Prince Fahd, President of the Olympic Council of Asia and an important member of the Kuwaiti royal family, was one of the outstanding representatives. When Fahd heard that Saddam had invaded Kuwait treacherously, he flew into a rage and drove straight to the palace. When he arrived at the palace, hundreds of palace guards had mostly fallen in a pool of blood. Fahd joined the ranks of defending the palace without hesitation and finally died in the fire of Iraqi tanks. Unarmed Kuwait was occupied by Iraq in less than nine hours. Saddam Hussein's invasion in the early hours of August 2 seems to have been carefully prepared. In August, it was midsummer in the Gulf, and most of the pampered Kuwaiti officers spent the summer abroad. Day five is practiced in Gulf countries, and it is closed every Thursday and Friday. Government officials and military officers all went home for reunion. August 2nd is Thursday, which is the easiest time for KLA to prepare for the war. Saddam used strategic deception to confuse Kuwait. He prepared for the invasion under the slogan of opposing the United States and Israel. Ibrahim's meeting in Jeddah was also one of Saddam's deception measures.

Desert shield

Iraq's blatant invasion of Kuwait caused an international uproar and triggered the Gulf crisis for nearly half a year. The Middle East is called "the sea of oil". How can the west, led by the United States, let Saddam control the western oil faucet? On August 2, the US government issued a statement strongly condemning Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, demanding that Iraq immediately withdraw its troops, restoring Kuwait's sovereignty and independence, and announcing the freezing of all assets of Iraq and Kuwait in the United States. Two days later, the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States, together with the Department of Defense, studied and adopted an action plan codenamed "Desert Shield". The public task of this plan is to send land, sea and air troops to the Gulf region to prevent Iraq from invading Saudi Arabia and expanding the war. At the same time, it calls for corresponding measures to force Iraq to withdraw its troops from Kuwait. On the evening of August 8, the first batch of American airborne troops arrived in Saudi Arabia. US President Bush delivered a televised speech and announced the "Desert Shield" plan to the world. He announced that at the request of Saudi Arabia, he would drive his troops into Saudi Arabia. President Bush announced that he would first deploy 600 fighter-bombers and10.5 million army in Saudi Arabia, and send at least three aircraft carrier task forces in Gulf waters. With the development of the situation, more troops will be sent. For a time, the Gulf became the center of the world's attention. Reports about the Gulf crisis spread all over the world, including radio, radio and newspapers. The United States took the lead in sending troops, and other western allies were not far behind. Britain first expressed its support for Bush's tough stance on Iraq and announced that Britain would send troops to the Gulf. Soon, the British Tornado and Jaguar fighter-bombers flew to Saudi Arabia, several warships sailed to the Gulf, and the British "Desert Rat" brigade also sailed from Europe to Saudi Arabia. French President Mitterrand announced that France strongly condemned Saddam's aggression, and French troops also flocked to the Gulf. Jaguar fighter-bomber was deployed to Saudi Arabia, the aircraft carrier Clemenceau went to the Gulf from France, and several French warships from Djibouti also went to the Gulf. Italy, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Denmark, Norway, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have announced that they will send warships or planes to the Gulf region. Even Japan has announced that it will send a medical team to the Gulf. In this upsurge of sending troops, many third world countries have joined in. Among the Arab countries, Egypt, Syria and Morocco sent troops to the Gulf. Saddam Hussein did not expect that Egypt's gun would be aimed at him, because both Iraq and Egypt are members of the Arab Cooperation Council. King Fahd of Saudi Arabia was greatly encouraged by his position on Egypt, and Bush also praised Egyptian President Mubarak. In recognition of Egypt's performance, Bush wrote off Egypt's $7 billion military debt with a stroke of the pen. The members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) thanked Egypt for forgiving its debt of $6 billion, and Saudi Arabia also provided Egypt with $4 billion in grants and loans. Countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh and Argentina also symbolically sent troops to Saudi Arabia. By the end of Operation Desert Shield in June 2005 (5438+099165438+10/5), the total strength of the United States and its allies (28 countries) in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region had reached nearly 700,000, including 430,000 Americans. * * * 3,600 tanks, including 2,000 from the United States. * * * There are 3,260 aircraft, including 2,800 from the United States. * * * There are 247 warships, including more than 120 from the United States, including 6 aircraft carriers.

Two commanders of the multinational force

As the saying goes, "Times make heroes", which is true. Since the outbreak of the Gulf crisis, the whole world has been watching the Gulf. Two commanders of the multinational force, American commander schwarzkopf and commander of the Arab Coalition forces Khalid, suddenly became the king of the ball, and their gestures became the subject matter that journalists from all over the world rushed to report. Both of them are competent military commanders. Schwartz, commander of the US military in Saudi Arabia, is 56 years old. He comes from a military family. 1952 was admitted to the famous West Point Military Academy, graduated with excellent results four years later, and began a long military career. As a senior officer in the U.S. Army, Schwartz has gone through a process of growth and tempering that an American professional officer must go through, that is, three-level training and exercise, namely, training in military academies, army leaders and post rotation. During his 38-year military career, he not only served as the commander at all levels of the US military and organs, but also entered some advanced military and local colleges and universities for further study and obtained a master's degree in aerospace engineering. It is no wonder that after the Gulf War, some people said that this war was a master's war, indicating that the commanders of multinational teams had high academic qualifications, which is also an inevitable requirement for commanders in modern high-tech wars. Schwartz was promoted to major general in 1983 and general in 1988, and he was the youngest general in the US military. He fought in the Vietnam War and invasion of grenada. His record of loyalty and active participation in American foreign wars and his ability made him establish his position in the United States. Shi is very familiar with the various services of the US military, and he is experienced in commanding the deployment of the US military and cooperating with multinational forces in the Gulf crisis. Since schwarzkopf served as the commander of the US Central Command from 65438 to 0988, he has conducted extensive research on regional influence, large-scale conventional operations, low-intensity operations, desert operations and special forces operations, and also has a unique analysis of the military situation in the Middle East. A few months before Iraq invaded Kuwait, he predicted: "Regional conflicts will become the most likely threat to oil supply in the near future, and Iraq will provoke this conflict." Schwartz is no stranger to the fact that the Gulf War is mainly desert war. He once commanded the 24th Mechanized Infantry Division of the US Army to train in Mojave Desert, California, USA, and often led troops to the Egyptian desert for large-scale joint military training with the Egyptian army. Although Khalid, commander of the Arab Coalition forces, is not as famous as the former, his qualifications and talents are not inferior. The multinational force is stationed in Saudi Arabia at the invitation of the Saudi government. After the army was assembled in Saudi Arabia, the Saudi government decided to set up the headquarters of the allied forces and appointed Prince Khalid, commander of the air defense forces, as the commander of the allied forces. Theoretically, all multinational forces have to listen to Khalid's command. Khalid is the eldest son of Saudi Arabia's second deputy prime minister, defense minister and aviation minister, Prince Sultan. He is young and promising and is regarded as the third generation leader of the Saudi royal family. Khalid is burly, knowledgeable and has received comprehensive military training. 1968 graduated from the Royal Military Academy, then went to the American Army Air Defense School to study air defense, electronics, air defense equipment maintenance and other majors, and then studied other majors. 1979 graduated from the US Army Command and Staff College. In addition to studying military affairs in the United States, he also received a doctorate in political science. Therefore, he is a rare officer in the Saudi army and even in the Arab world who has received military training and higher education from various services and arms of the United States and Britain. Prince Khalid is one of the founders of Saudi air defense forces. Through his efforts, he established a complete air defense system throughout the country. 1985, the Saudi air defense force broke away from the air force and became an independent service. He is a well-deserved commander of the air defense force and was awarded the rank of Major General. 1990, promoted to lieutenant general at the age of 42. Prince Khalid has a prominent social position, rich military knowledge, good at rhetoric, confident and generous, and has the demeanor of a general. At the critical moment of the Gulf crisis, he was an ideal candidate for the Allied Commander. As the saying goes, "One mountain can't accommodate two tigers". Hundreds of thousands of multinational troops assembled in Saudi Arabia actually have two commanders, one is the allied commander Khalid appointed by Saudi Arabia, and the other is the American commander schwarzkopf. Who will command hundreds of thousands of troops? For a time, it became a hot topic for journalists. Khalid believes that he is the commander of the Coalition forces and all troops in Saudi Arabia should be under his command. Schwartz, on the other hand, thinks that fighting the million-strong Iraqi army is no joke, and Khalid can't shoulder this heavy responsibility. The controversial command was finally resolved by Bush and King Fahd: the American, British and French troops were under the command of Schwartz; Khalid is in charge of commanding the Arab and Islamic armies. As commander of the Allied Forces, Khalid knew that arrogant Americans would not listen to his command, but for the sake of national honor, he should at least be on an equal footing with schwarzkopf and set up a command parallel to the US military command. Khalid ordered his adjutant that every interview with schwarzkopf must be conducted in his office, which is non-negotiable. At Khalid's insistence, Schwartz really went to Khalid's office every day to discuss * * * with combat actions. 1/kloc-0 One day in June, 2008, the US military wanted to conduct a fully armed air exercise without informing Khalid. Khalid immediately ordered the next day to ban any armed flights, and then called schwarzkopf, so he had to cancel the exercise. Later, the US Air Force explained that they just wanted to test the take-off and landing procedures of fully armed aircraft. A few days later, the U.S. military asked for permission to conduct a flight inspection, and this time Khalid approved their request. Although this delayed the exercise for five days, the most important thing was to teach the Americans a lesson. Khalid had never worried about his own safety before, but in order to prevent the activities of Iraqi terrorists, schwarzkopf was surrounded by heavily armed soldiers and plain clothes. When he was outside the Ministry of Defence, he even used an escort convoy. Khalid didn't show weakness when he saw this. He immediately formed a guard comparable to schwarzkopf and sent several people abroad for training. When people saw the guards carefully organized by Khalid, they couldn't help exclaiming, "God, when he walked from the office to the war room below, he needed 10 people-five in front and five in the back, all with machine guns. What are you doing? " Khalid thinks he doesn't want to do anything, but he must let allied officers and news media see the dignity of the Saudi kingdom and that he is an equal commander with schwarzkopf. Two commanders of the multinational force quarreled with each other. In China's words, this is called being the master. In fact, they are similar in character, and their cooperation was successful and pleasant throughout the Gulf crisis and the Gulf War.

Hostage shield

In the face of the huge army assembled in the Gulf region, Saddam remained stubborn and determined to fight against the multinational forces. On August 28th, Saddam issued a presidential decree declaring Kuwait the19th province of Iraq. Saddam's intention is very obvious. He wants to wipe Kuwait off the map forever. 10 10 16, Iraq released a new map of Kuwait, which included Bubiyan Island, Warb Island and Rumaila Oilfield in Kuwait into Basra Province of Iraq, and the rest was 19 Province of Iraq. Saddam also appointed Ibrahim as the governor of Kuwait Province. In order to deal with the threat of the United States, Saddam used the so-called "hostage shield" to counter the "desert shield" of the multinational forces. Saddam Hussein detained nearly 10,000 Westerners in Iraq and Kuwait, including 3,500 Americans. Saddam Hussein's single-handedness angered the west, but he was helpless. Then Iraq asked all countries to close their embassies in Kuwait and move to Baghdad before August 24, claiming that Kuwait is already a province of Iraq and there is no need for countries to set up embassies there. In mid-August, the Iraqi government concentrated American and British expatriates in Kuwait in Kuwait City. The Iraqi Speaker threatened that they would not release these expatriates as long as Iraq faced the threat of war. Soon, Iraq announced that these expatriates would be concentrated in important military facilities in Iraq. If the United States dares to attack Iraq, they will be regarded as martyrs. Later, Saddam released the hostages in batches and asked the west to beg Saddam for mercy. The "hostage shield" farce really worked. Saddam Hussein's "hostage shield" also provoked discord in the anti-Iraq alliance, eased the military pressure facing Iraq and improved the unfavorable diplomatic situation. Because Saddam Hussein's release of hostages and his failure to release hostages will inevitably create a gap between western countries. 10/On October 23rd, Iraq unconditionally released 400 hostages, including all 330 French hostages, but only 33 elderly and infirm Britons and 14 Americans. Saddam's action immediately caused a mild storm in the west. When the news of Iraq's release of hostages reached Paris, the French official's first reaction was to declare that it was Iraq's unilateral decision, and France had never had any deal with Iraq on the hostage issue. Spokesmen of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Presidential Palace have repeatedly stated that the release of French hostages must not change France's position on the Gulf issue. French Prime Minister Rocard has repeatedly assured the National Assembly that France has not conducted private transactions with Iraq. Foreign Minister Ma Ying telephoned US Secretary of State Baker to assure the United States that France would not break away from the international United front of sanctions against Iraq. Although Saddam Hussein's alienation plan was unsuccessful, France's repeated confessions somewhat aroused the suspicion of the United States and Britain.

Final showdown

Millions of troops confronted each other in the Gulf, and international mediation activities broke out one after another, but all ended in failure. 1990165438+1October 29th, the UN Security Council made a decision: "If Iraq is absent1991115. This is equivalent to giving the sword on the side to the United States. The day after the Security Council resolution, Bush formally invited Iraq to hold high-level talks with the United States, and showed Iraq the determination of the international community. On the same day, Saddam accepted Bush's proposal, but he had one general condition, that is, he insisted on discussing all issues in the Middle East, namely Israel and Arab countries, the Palestinian issue and so on. The two sides have not yet reached an agreement on the schedule of Iraqi Foreign Minister Aziz's visit to Washington and US Secretary of State Baker's visit to Baghdad. Saddam Hussein asked Zibek199112 to go to Baghdad, but Bush thought this time was too close to the deadline of the United Nations ultimatum to Iraq, which was unacceptable. The two sides are deadlocked, and no one can make satisfactory suggestions. During this period, Algerian President Chadli, the President of the United Nations Security Council, key officials of the European Community and the King of Jordan all launched diplomatic activities, trying to persuade Saddam to yield. 199165438+12 October, Michel Voser Le, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the French National Assembly and a close confidant of President Mitterrand, went to Baghdad in his personal capacity. He met Aziz and Saddam Hussein in Baghdad, but the result was not satisfactory. On October 3, 65438/kloc-0, Bush once again suggested that the time for Aziz and Baker to meet in Geneva could be considered as1October 7-9, and called it "the last attempt to achieve a peaceful settlement of the Gulf crisis". Saddam Hussein, who was in a dilemma, accepted Bush's proposal the next day and agreed that the representatives of the two sides would meet in Geneva on June 9, 65438/KLOC-0 to coordinate the peace issues between the two sides and the Gulf. Bush regarded Saddam's decision as a "positive step" in Iraq, and assured Saddam that if he ordered all troops to leave Kuwait, Baghdad and all Iraqi military targets would not be attacked. Of course, Bush knows that international and domestic issues are very sensitive to the Gulf issue. In order to further seek more allies, he sent Baker to Paris and London in a hurry on June 6, 65438+ to deal with European powers and clarify the US policy toward the Middle East. At home, Bush also cleared the way for his actions. On June 5438+1October 12, the Senate and the House of Representatives of the United States passed resolutions respectively. If Saddam Hussein does not withdraw from occupied Kuwait before midnight on June 5438+05, US Eastern Time, that is, before 5: 00 GMT, Bush can use force against Iraq. The deadline for the United Nations to demand Iraq's unconditional withdrawal is getting closer and closer, and the whole world is watching the situation in the Gulf with every nerve tightened. Most observers believe that unless Saddam withdraws his troops, the United States will definitely use force. 65438+ 10/2. On the same day that the United States decided to use force, US Secretary of State Baker and Iraqi Foreign Minister Aziz held showdown talks in Geneva. During the talks, Baker put Bush's letter to Saddam Hussein in the middle of the conference table, but Aziz never replied. At the end of the meeting, Baker said, "Mr. Minister, I have said everything I have come here. I don't see any reason to continue." Aziz said: "I agree. I have nothing to say. " Before leaving, Baker pointed to the letter on the desk and said, "Are you sure you don't want to accept this letter?" Aziz said calmly, "Yes, I'm sure." At 65438+1October 16 18, Washington, DC, was brightly lit and calm as usual. Journalists at home and abroad flocked to the White House Press Center, because the deadline for Iraq's final withdrawal from Kuwait has exceeded 18 hour, and President Bush has repeatedly said that he can no longer "tolerate" and "wait" for Iraq. What new decisions does President Bush have at present? Can he declare war? When will the war be declared? Journalists from all over the United States are paying attention to this world-famous problem. However, a White House spokesman announced to reporters: "The US government has no news release tonight. Ladies and gentlemen, please go back to rest! " Judging from the tone of the spokesman, the military action against Iraq is unlikely to start tonight and tomorrow. It seems that the stars in the sky can sleep peacefully. In fact, this is the calm before the storm. After the failure of the Geneva talks, Bush decided to change from "desert shield" to "desert storm" at 3 am Baghdad time, which gave Saddam a whole day to show his intention of withdrawing troops after the deadline expired, but Saddam made no indication. A big storm will inevitably sweep the whole bay.

Desert Storm appeared on the stage.

65438+1October 17 The air raid on Baghdad before dawn was so horrible that there was no sound of fighter planes at all. But in an instant, the dark night sky was illuminated by fire, and all kinds of bombers and fighters suddenly appeared in the night sky of Baghdad like locusts. Bombs fall from the sky, thunder is overwhelming, one after another, deafening, buildings. The harsh air defense alarm, the roar of bombs and a string of colorful anti-aircraft artillery shells started the attack on Baghdad. Obviously, because of flying at a very high altitude, the fighters of the multinational force arrived quietly, and Iraq did not know that it had been attacked until the bomb fell over Baghdad. Two hours after the first round of anti-aircraft fire in Iraq was launched, Baghdad Radio reported that fighter planes flew over the city with a population of about 4 million in turn. In the morning after the air raid, the streets of Baghdad were desolate, shops were closed, doors and windows were closed, and curtains were drawn, but the house was not greatly damaged. Many foreign journalists observed the attack in the luxurious arash Hotel in the center of Baghdad. After the air raid began, foreigners and journalists from this hotel in downtown Baghdad were escorted to the underground air defense bunker by hotel staff. After dawn, the reporters asked the citizens, but they didn't know any reports of civilian casualties, and there was no indication that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was hit at the presidential residence as legendary. According to Iraqi news agency, Saddam was in another hidden place, and he escaped the air raid before dawn. The news agency quoted the Iraqi charge d 'affaires in Islamabad, Pakistan, as saying that Saddam was in good health. Arnet, a reporter for CNN, said that it seems that some buildings in the city were not directly hit. He saw three surface-to-air missiles counterattack, but missed the target. Important office buildings in Baghdad were directly destroyed, such as the civil defense building in the city center, the central government building in Baghdad, the Ministry of National Defense building by the Tigris River, the headquarters of the ruling Social Baath Party and the presidential palace across the river. In the first few hours after the attack, some reporters reported that there was a fire in the distance. CNN reporter Homanli said that an oil refinery was obviously hit and a hot air blew over the hotel. There was a huge explosion in the telecom building. Homanli described this scene as "some beautiful tracer bullets, red explosion flames and green explosion flames". Another reporter said: "We feel that we are in the center of hell." In Baghdad after the air raid, it seems that Iraqi officials have disappeared, cables, telephone lines and water supply have been cut off, radio stations have been seriously disturbed, and radio signals that once played the national anthem have been completely cut off halfway. Most of the capital was silent. In order to avoid the air raid, some foreign journalists boarded the bus to Jordan, and the bus driver took the opportunity to rip it off. The 700-kilometer journey actually cost $3,000, which is just an old saying of China: "When the cannon rings, there are two thousand gold." The reporter did not see any military roadblocks or checkpoints along the way, and did not see the first Iraqi soldier in uniform until the border checkpoint. These are just some scenes of air strikes against Iraq. The "Desert Storm" air raid by multinational forces on Iraq is the largest air combat operation since the end of the Second World War. Before the air raid began, the multinational forces led by the United States made full preparations. In order to determine the bombing target and keep abreast of the Iraqi army's movements, more than a dozen reconnaissance satellites and communication satellites in the United States kept shuttling over the Gulf, and all kinds of image information were continuously transmitted to the ground command. On the eve of the air raid, the US military started jammers to interfere with Iraqi radio waves, covering the whole of Iraq. The Iraqi military communication system suddenly collapsed, and Saddam Hussein and his command organizations at all levels could not command normally. Before the fighter-bomber of the multinational force was dispatched, the US military jammer flew over Iraq, scattering a large number of pieces of metal, which made a snowflake appear on Iraq's radar and made it impossible to observe the aircraft of the multinational force. Then, the US military began to launch Tomahawk cruise missiles from Missouri and Wisconsin to Iraq. The missile hit accuracy is amazing, and the US military boasts that it can accurately penetrate the football door frame when it is launched from 1000 km away. After the missile was launched, hundreds of fighter-bombers from the multinational forces took off from the air force airport in central Saudi Arabia and bombed Iraq indiscriminately. According to the Western News Agency, in the first 15 minutes after the air raid, the planes of the multinational forces dropped18,000 tons of bombs on Iraq's strategic targets, which was equivalent to the atomic bomb dropped by the United States in Hiroshima that year. According to the announcement of the US military spokesman on June 65438+1October 18, about 50% of Iraq's military targets include radar stations, air defense positions, air bases, ground-to-ground missile positions, command, communication and control centers, nuclear facilities, and chemical and biological weapons centers. On the first day, it was destroyed by air strikes by multinational forces. In the face of heavy bombing by multinational forces, Iraq's air defense system was paralyzed. Except for a few planes, most of the planes of the Iraqi Air Force are hidden in reinforced concrete hangars or transferred to airports in the northern mountainous areas. Later, some planes flew to Iran. Almost all the planes launched by Iraq were spared, but it was not heard that Iraqi planes shot down the planes of the multinational force. The multinational forces led by the United States won the first battle and were ecstatic. But it didn't take long for America to find that they were so happy. The losses suffered by Iraq are far less serious than they estimated. The clear images of Iraqi military targets bombed by American satellites are mostly false targets. Iraqi Scud missile launchers are hidden in residential areas and other places where the US military is not easy to find. Launchers that are easy to be found are mostly deliberately set false targets. The news spread and the whole world was in an uproar. Although Iraq's counterattack is weak, it can still stand the fight.

Saddam refused to admit defeat.

Where did Saddam go after the "Desert Storm" operation began? The presidential palace is undoubtedly the first target of the multinational forces' air strikes against Baghdad. It is said that American Tomahawk cruise missiles will hit the men's room in a building and will not fall into the women's room next door. Did Saddam escape from Baghdad or was he killed in the presidential palace? People guess by their own imagination. In fact, Saddam Hussein is now in the capital Baghdad, in his presidential palace, just in an underground fortification. He can't see or feel what is happening on the ground. He didn't know that the war had begun until the intelligence department reported to him that the capital had been heavily attacked by air. The underground project of the presidential palace can be said to be Saddam's masterpiece, which also shows Saddam's good intentions. The underground project was built by a German company and cost more than 654.38 billion US dollars. Total area 1800 square meters, above ground 18 meters. The wall, ceiling and foundation are 2m thick, and the door is made of 12cm thick steel plate with great strength. An elevator made in Germany can send people to the ground. This underground fortification can not only resist 3 degrees Celsius.