Today, Thursday, 2nd August 2012 is the 22nd anniversary of the invasion of Kuwait.
Herebelow I reproduce one chapter from my forthcoming book "SOLIDARITY WITH KUWAIT" for the readers of this blog to know what has exactly happened on that fateful day . A.V.F.
2nd of August 1990 will be remembered in the history of this planet as one of the worst days, as the day of betrayal because on this day the President of Iraq, Saddam Hussein betrayed Kuwait with a Judas Kiss. On this date Iraq a brotherly Islamic country betrayed another Islamic country Kuwait by invading it thru force against the sanctified principle of Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) which forbids use of force to settle bilateral disputes between the member countries. Since Kuwait and Iraq are also the members of OIC, Iraq should not have breached the sanctified principle of OIC.
On this date, 2nd of August 1990, Iraq a brotherly Arab country betrayed another Arab country Kuwait by invading it thru force thereby trampling under its feet the principle of Arab League which forbids the use of force by the member countries against the other member countries to settle the bilateral disputes.
On this date, 2nd of August 1990, Iraq with its mighty military power against the principles of Non Aligned Movement and also of United Nations, annexed Kuwait and converted Kuwait into its 19th Province naming it as Khadeema. The naming of Khadeema was done when Xavier Perez De Cuellar the then Secretary General of UN was on his way, on behalf of World Body of which Iraq too was a member, to Iraq to meet Saddam Hussein to request him to withdraw his troops from Kuwait and leave Kuwait into the hands of its original leadership.
But Saddam Hussein even after accepting De Cuellar’s visit to Baghdad and its purpose made mockery of De Cuellar and also of UN by converting Kuwait into its 19th province on 8th August 1990. During his stop-over in one of the Gulf countries before landing in Baghdad, when De Cuellar heard Saddam’s decision of converting Kuwait into Iraq’s 19th province, a disillusioned De Cuellar remarked “two minuses make one plus in Algebra but not in the case of Saddam Hussein when he made two minuses, one by invading Kuwait and the other by converting it into 19th province”. Both these two negatives do not make one positive for Iraq.
Hence, it was wrong on the part of Saddam Hussein to magnetise Kuwait to Iraq. This was the view point of De Cuellar. As a member of NAM and UNO too, Iraq should have avoided use of force to settle its dispute with Kuwait. But, no, Iraq under Saddam Hussein by using its mighty military power trampled under its feet the principles of all the organizations namely of OIC, AL, NAM & UNO and invaded Kuwait.
A week prior to 2nd August 1990, on observing minutely atmosphere all around Kuwait, some gloomy situation was noticed. Stories started pouring in that Iraq has massed its troops near its border with Kuwait. But the threat was not magnified, even on the eve of invasion the magnitude of the Iraqi threat of invasion was played down as if nothing was happening. Though inner circle of Kuwaitis was tense as per trickling of the news thru the domestic servants who had very good access to all the secret information from their top Kuwaiti bosses yet expatriates in general were unperturbed because they were not well informed of the real gravity of the events going on.
Everything looked normal for an ordinary expatriate, at least expatriates were made to feel the same. My Goan friend Alfred D’Cruz ex Times of India, Bombay, working as Desk Editor for one of the local English Dailies, The Kuwait Times, said as usual he was working on his pages to complete the 2nd August issue. He was alerted only when at about 11.00 p.m., Kuwait Times office received a call from outside Kuwait from a media agency asking everything is o.k., in Kuwait? This made D’Cruz a little tense but as usual, after finishing his page he returned home late at night. While returning home, he noticed less flow of traffic on the roads.
Linda Martins, a young and pretty looking daughter of Alex Martins one of the senior Kuwait Goans, a well known Fine Artist, a renowned actor, director, producer and playwright who had unique distinction of producing from Kuwait the first Konkani Video Film “Guirestkai”, was traveling to Bombay by late night Kuwait Airways Flight at about 11.00 p.m. When she went to the Airport, she found everything tense, the crowd thinned, the staff at the counter were making hurry for the passengers to finish their procedure fast and get inside, so too the Police Officers at the Emigration Counters. Linda did not sense the happenings outside but at the Airport the security officers and other police personnel gauged the situation. For this reason they were making hurry to allow the flight to take off without delay before anything untoward can happen to prevent the flight to take off.
On the eve of the invasion during the meeting between Iraq and Kuwait organized by Saudi King in Saudi Arabia to cement their differences on the prevailing situation between Iraq and Kuwait, nothing serious was disclosed to the residents in Kuwait though the said meeting ended in sour note when Iraqi delegation furiously walked out of the talks there. The Iraqi delegation for this meet was headed by Iraqi Deputy Premier Tareq Aziz who was the only Christian in Saddam Hussein’s Cabinet and was very close to his boss. I on my part thought nothing would happen for Kuwait. I myself thought that Iraq would never enter into Kuwait and for that matter why should Iraq invade Kuwait when Iraq is a brotherly country in race and religion?
And moreover, Iraq has already recognized Kuwait as an independent State by establishing diplomatic ties with Kuwait even having opened its Embassy in Kuwait at a place called Shara Istiklal. Even though Iraq had created a very bad history in late fifties under its the then leader Abdul Kareem Qasim to invade Kuwait but all its sinister attempts were firmly thwarted by Kuwait with the help of British troops from Bahrain which came to the rescue of Kuwait then.
Ordinary Iraqis according to my information were wrongly fed with wrong stories that Kuwait City and certain surrounding parts belonged to Iraq. Some Iraqis were under the impression that Kuwait was the part of Iraq. During their halt in Kuwait City on their onward journey via Kuwait to Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj and Umrah in Saudi Arabia, many Iraqis whom I encountered 30 years back were boldly telling that this area belonged to them.
Further they said this place was theirs and one day they will put their claim for same. As a matter of fact, according to historical accounts when Ottoman Empire took control of many parts in this region, it encompassed in its fold even some areas of Iraq but never a single inch of Kuwait. Kuwait always remained independent of any external power. It was never colonized by any foreign power.
1st of August 1990 was Wednesday and on this day Shia Muslims marked the day as “Moharram”. Normally, even on late night on this date celebration of this festive day goes on. Early in the morning on 2nd August 1990, while I was still on my bed was dreaming to build castles in the air with the power of few Dinars that I earned but without knowing what has already taken place outside my Flat in Kuwait City.
Hearing some gun shots, I thought may be some young boys were still celebrating their festival of Moharram by firing cracker shots in the air outside near my Flat. I never thought these were the shots fired by the Iraqi soldiers from their ageing guns to frighten the residents in Kuwait city where I was dwelling. As usual, I got up and dressed-up for my going to work at about 6.00 in the morning. Usually I leave my home at 6.30 but on that fateful Thursday morning, 2nd of August 1990, I left my house half an hour earlier because every Thursday the local daily “Kuwait Times” was bringing a nice Magazine section as a Supplement carrying very interesting articles.
Since I was curious to read this, I left my residence a little earlier. When I reached the ground floor of my building I saw to my total surprise the entire vehicular traffic on the road halted. Public Transport buses stopped in the middle of the road like any other vehicle but their engines still on. It was very difficult to ascertain the real cause of this abrupt traffic halt on the middle of the road. May be I said to myself that the motorcade of the Amir of Kuwait is coming and to make way the entire traffic in Kuwait city is temporarily halted. But from minute look at these vehicles, there were no drivers on the drivers seats. This confused me more. Later on I realized that these drivers were forced out of their seats and vehicles and with the help of the barrel of their guns the Iraqi soldiers pushed them out of their vehicles leaving their vehicles on there only, on the middle of the roads. What a brutality of Iraqi soldiers!!
When I walked a little further to purchase my copy of Kuwait Times from the nearby “Bakala” (Shop), I saw on the road military personnel with craggy faces, carrying ageing guns, wearing worn out Helmets and also carrying Wireless Sets of World War II type with tall and lengthy Antennas manning the roads and preventing the passers-by moving from one side of the street to the other. I was more puzzled by seeing this unusual scene. Then suddenly I noticed two soldiers approximately 30 metres away from me, entering Kuwait City Police Station. One soldier opening one part of the main door by kicking it and the other soldier the other part of the main door by the barrel of his gun. Still I could not fathom what is actually happening.
Terrified by this terrific scene, one soldier from close by on the main road pointed his gun towards me thinking I am a Kuwaiti Policeman since I was wearing full brown dress, trousers brown and long sleeves shirt brown too with fashionable stripes on one shoulder. When I saw that soldier pointing his gun towards me, I managed to hide near one of the pillars of the building and came home quickly. Fortunately for me, at that particular moment one Arab lady looked like Iraqi or Palestinian while passing that side, interrupted the Iraqi soldier who was aiming at me, asking the soldier why there are no buses plying today, of course unaware of what has already happened and also unaware that the soldier whom she was questioning was an Iraqi. Secondly, I think the soldier pointing his gun towards me noticed that I am not a Kuwaiti Policeman but an expatriate, probably from India and hence he mellowed down on me. Otherwise, may be he would shoot me dead? God alone knows!!
While returning home all trembling and terrified knowing not what has happened actually, I noticed at the entrance of my building some male expatriates from different nationalities watching the Iraqi soldiers on the road as if it was a Cricket Match or a big show of admiration. One of them said, with happy tone, “they are Iraqi soldiers, they have entered Kuwait and captured Kuwait. Now they will teach a very good lesson to Kuwaitis who are harassing the expatriates unnecessarily”.
Then I realized what exactly has happened and the soldiers that I saw on the road and at Police Station were none other than the Iraqi soldiers. Now I realized that unthinkable has become thinkable. With deep sorrow and chagrin I had to accept that this country Kuwait from where I was earning my sustenance was invaded by its own Arab and Muslim neighbour Iraq having same language, same culture and same tradition. Thru this unwarranted, unjust and vicious invasion Saddam Hussein of Iraq cheated and robbed Kuwait of its trust. Thru this invasion, Saddam Hussein of Iraq betrayed the trust of the world. Oh!! What a mighty fall of Kuwait.
Within a minute so to say, Kuwait lost its independent identity, Kuwaitis became countryless, homeless and Passportless, within a minute a dazzling and magnificent country, one of the richest in the world having highest per capita income collapsed like a pack of cards in front of the mighty military power of Iraq. With the fall of Kuwait the might of GCC, Arab League, OIC, NAM and UN also collapsed like a pack of cards. Later on I realized none of these organizations withstood the fury of one nation Iraq under its dictator Saddam Hussein who made fool of all these organizations including UN but later on UN alone proved its worth of its existence. Besides UN, the rest of the organizations proved to be like any other NGO’s or Lions and Jaycee Clubs.
Communist Chinese leader Mao-Tse-Tung once said “Power flows thru the barrel of the gun”. Saddam’s mighty power flew thru the barrel of his gun. This mighty power of Saddam Hussein’s gun was too strong for the feeble power of Kuwait’s gun. Kuwait had military prowess but surely not to face Iraq. Saddam claimed to have had one of the powerful armies in the world to subdue only his Arab neighbour Kuwait, and nothing else. If his army was so powerful enough then it would give him victory in his 8 years war with Iran. Why Iraq only? None of the Arab Armies and their military arsenals were powerful enough to withstand the military might even of tiny Israel which was implanted in the Middle East by the Zionist lobby in collaboration with the crook British by uprooting innocent Palestinians from their rightful homes and homeland.
A. Veronica Fernandes,
Kuwait.
