Middle East 651
Narrative: On October 19, 1996, Iraq accused Kuwait of violating its waters in
order to intercept and open fire on an Iraqi vessel. On October 28, the Kuwait Ports
Authority caught two Iraqi vessels violating the UN trade sanctions on Iraq. Kuwait
unloaded the vessels’ cargo of fuel and sold the ships. Numerous Kuwaiti seizures of
Iraqi vessels followed though few, if any, of these actions were protested by the Iraqis.
Several maritime exchanges of fire also followed and continued until September 1997.
Coding changes: Start Date changed from October 1996. Fatalities changed from
Missing.
MID#4273
Started in October 1997. See the narrative in the 2 United States of America/645 Iraq
dyad dispute list.
MID#4215
Dispute Number: 4215
Date(s): January 11, 1999 to January 21, 1999
Participants: 690 Kuwait/645 Iraq
Outcome (and Settlement): Unclear (None)
Fatalities: None
Narrative: American and British planes attacked Iraq. Iraq accused Kuwait of being
part of the attack. Kuwait responded by putting its armed forces on alert.
Coding changes: End Date changed from January 14, 1999.
MID#4275
Dispute Number: 4275
Date(s): August 10, 2000
Participants: 690 Kuwait/645 Iraq
Outcome (and Settlement): Unclear (None)
Fatalities: None
Narrative: Saddam Hussein gave a speech in which he said the nations of Kuwait
and Saudi Arabia were traitors for letting them allow American and British planes
to bomb Iraq from their territories. Kuwait took this as a threat and mobilized part
of their army. Saddam Hussein acknowledged the mobilization but said that it was
unnecessary because there was no threat.
645 IRAQ/692 BAHRAIN
MID#2565
Dispute Number: 2565
Date(s): August 26, 1986
Participants: 645 Iraq/692 Bahrain