On January 17, 1991 (the second day of the twelfth lunar month), the Gulf War broke out.

In the early morning of January 17, 1991, the multinational force led by the United States launched a large-scale air strike into Iraq.

The six-week war ended with Iraq withdrawing its troops from Kuwait and accepting a resolution by the UN Security Council. The conflict between Iraq and Kuwait continued due to territorial and oil issues. On August 2, 1990, Iraq mobilized 100,000 troops to annex Kuwait. Iraq's action violated international law and norms of international relations, undermining international peace and security, and was strongly condemned by the international community. The international community imposed far-reaching economic sanctions on Iraq, and the United Nations adopted a resolution demanding Iraq's immediate and unconditional withdrawal from Kuwait. Meanwhile, the Iraqi army has been gathering forces along the border with Saudi Arabia.

More than 200,000 American troops were airlifted to the Gulf region with the support of troops from other countries. U.S. President Bush announced in early November that this force will double in the next few months, giving it a powerful force to counter Saddam's invasion. At first, thousands of foreigners from western countries and other nationalities held hostages in Kuwait and Iraq were used by Saddam as hostage shields to resist the attack of multinational forces. However, after intense diplomatic efforts by individuals and governments, these hostages were released one after another at the end of 1990. The hope of a diplomatic resolution to the Gulf conflict seems to be increasingly slim as Iraq has linked its withdrawal from Kuwait with its demand for Israel to withdraw from the occupied territories of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in an attempt to draw Islamic fundamentalists and Arab nationalists to his cause. At the end of November, UN Resolution 678 authorized the use of force by the 28-nation coalition force if Iraq did not withdraw its troops from Kuwait by January 15, 1991.

After 24 hours of the United Nations-declared withdrawal, the coalition began a massive assault on Iraq and Kuwait targets, first bombing military centers, command and supply networks, and civilian permanent facilities for more than a month in a row. By the end of January, Saddam¡¯s massive low-tech military machinery was gradually destroyed by airstrikes. On February 24, the long-awaited ground war began. Iraq¡¯s resistance collapsed in the face of a teaching-style military battle, and Kuwait was completely liberated in three days. The coalition¡¯s death toll was about 250 people, the loss to Iraq may be a mystery forever, but estimated to be between 350,000 and 100,000.

Clear combat goals, reasonable strategic expectations, and widespread and active international support made the Gulf War the shortest war in America¡¯s history.In August 1990, Saddam¡¯s forces invaded Kuwait, five months later, the Allies began carpet bombing and then ground forces joined the battle.After six weeks, these forces withdrew.In 1992, George W. Bush¡¯s Secretary of Defense, Cheney, said in Seattle: ¡°If we were on our way to Baghdad, I think the U.S. forces would still be stationed in Baghdad.