A ceasefire was declared on 28 February 1991

A group of Iraqi soldiers surrender to American forces. Gulf War, February 28th, 1991. Unknown location.

A full-scale war unfolded when coalition forces began military operations against Iraq in the early hours of 17 January 1991, beginning with a devastating 42-day aerial bombing campaign against Iraqi military targets in Kuwait and the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. On 24 February 1991, coalition ground forces moved from Saudi Arabia against Iraqi positions, destroying what was left of Iraq’s ability to resist. After two further days of air strikes, Baghdad radio announced Saddam’s forces had been ordered to withdraw from Kuwait to the positions they had occupied before 2 August 1990. As they did so, they set fire to Kuwaiti oil wells and dumped millions of barrels of oil into the Persian Gulf. Less than 100 hours after the commencement of ground operations, a ceasefire was declared on 28 February 1991.