Atlas of Battles

battle, landmark, Cold War

Iraqi invasion of Kuwait

Iraqi invasion of Kuwait was a battle fought in 1990 at Kuwait. Its exact site is not recorded; the atlas places it at Kuwait. It was part of the Gulf War, which ran from 1990 to 1991. The recorded result: Iraqi victory.

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An abandoned Iraqi Type 69 main battle tank sits on the side on the road into Kuwait City during the ground phase of Operation Desert Storm.
An abandoned Iraqi Type 69 main battle tank sits on the side on the road into Kuwait City during the ground phase of Operation Desert Storm.. J.R. Roark, US Marines, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought1990
WhereKuwait29.167N, 47.600E, placed at the location, approximate
OutcomeIraqi victory
BelligerentsIraqagainstKuwait
Part ofGulf War1990 to 1991

Where it sits in the Gulf War

Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, 1990Battle of Dasman Palace, 1990Battle of the Bridges, 1990Battle of Failaka, 1990Battle of Qurah and Umm al Maradim, 1991Battle of Khafji, 1991Battle of Bubiyan, 1991Samurra Air Battle, 1991Battle of Wadi Al-Batin, 1991Battle of 73 Easting, 1991Battle of Al Busayyah, 1991Battle of Phase Line Bullet, 1991Battle of Norfolk, 1991Battle of Medina Ridge, 1991Battle of Kuwait International Airport, 1991Battle for Jalibah Airfield, 1991Safwan Airfield Standoff, 1991Battle of Rumaila, 199119901991Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, 1990
18 placed engagements of the Gulf War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date1990 (year precision)
to 1990
PlaceKuwait
29.167N, 47.600E
KindBattle, Cold War
Commanders
  • Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah
  • Saad Al-Salim Al-Sabah
  • Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
  • Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
Iraqi invasion of KuwaitIraqi invasion of KuwaitBattle of the BridgesBattle of Dasman PalaceBattle of FailakaBattle of Wadi Al-BatinBattle of 73 EastingBattle of the BridgesBattle of Dasman PalaceBattle of 73 EastingAbadanHafar al BatinAl Ahmadi100 km29.167N, 47.600E
Placed at Kuwait; the exact site is not recorded. with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Iraqi invasion of Kuwait
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 10 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Iraqi invasion of Kuwait today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2023-09-27. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2023.

The recorded site stands at about 147 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 104 to 177 m, 72 m of relief, gently rolling country and today it is 100% bare ground.

bare ground: 100%bare ground 100%
west to east, 10.0 km129 to 149 mnorth to south, 10.0 km115 to 157 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1990

Iraqi invasion of Kuwait is one of 2,997 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 8 in present-day Kuwait.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q856650, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, revision 1383243347, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.