Bush remembered for bold role in Kuwait liberation
‘ Bush on my head! Bush on my head,” the old Kuwaiti man was screaming into the microphone of a television channel as he expressed his deep gratitude for US President George H. Bush for his crucial contribution to the liberation of Kuwait in February 1991.
The Kuwaiti citizen was using a literal translation of a Gulf expression of love and admiration for someone. The man’s reaction epitomised the deep esteem that Kuwaitis had for the president who helped them get rid of the occupation by the Iraqi army that started on August 2, 1990.
Today, Bush is still remembered with gratitude and fondness for his bravery and determination in the face of an Iraqi army that was then among the largest in the world.
News of his death saddened large sections of Kuwaiti society, especially among the older generations, who offered their condolences and expressed how sorely he will be missed.
The emir, Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, sent a cable of condolences to US President Donald Trump, expressing his sympathy over the death of former President George H.W. Bush, Kuwaiti News Agency (Kuna) reported. In his cable, the Emir said that he was expressing the condolences of the Kuwaiti government and people.
Shaikh Sabah also highlighted “the decisive decisions taken by the American administration under the leadership of Bush and his pivotal role in forming an international coalition, mandated by the UN to liberate the State of Kuwait.”
Shaikh Sabah sent similar cables of condolences to President George W. Bush, the 43rd US President and son of the elder Bush, the state-run Kuna said.
Crown Prince Shaikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah and Prime Minister Shaikh Jaber Al Mubarak Al Hamad Al Sabah sent similar cables to President Trump, it added.
In August 1990, Bush strongly condemned the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and as an astute politician, succeeded in putting together a 30-nation coalition that was backed by a UN mandate. He included Syria, a country that was openly hostile to US action in the Middle East, in the coalition.
On January 17, 1991, US and allied planes hit Iraqi targets and Desert Shield became Desert Storm.
The ground war was launched on February 24 and Bush ordered a ceasefire 100 hours after the fighting began, having secured the liberation of Kuwait. Following the 1991 triumph, Bush’s approval rates at home approached 90 per cent.