By Mahmoud Zakaria

Today, August 2, marks the 34th anniversary of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, a day remembered for the moment when Iraqi soldiers toppled the Kuwaiti border sign and replaced it with one declaring Kuwait as "the 19th province of Iraq”.

On August 2, 1990, Iraqi forces entered Kuwaiti territory, leading to violent clashes with heavy weaponry between Kuwaiti units and the Iraqi army in the center of Kuwait City. The international community strongly condemned the invasion, causing oil prices to rise significantly. The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting, demanding the "immediate unconditional withdrawal of Iraqi forces”.

Photo dated Aug 3, 1990 shows Iraqi soldiers in a military transport truck in a street of Kuwait City. - AFP
Kuwait Airways building destroyed by the brutal Iraqi invasion.
Renowned Kuwaiti poet Dr Suad Al-Sabah.
Late Kuwaiti writer Ismail Fahd Ismail
Young Kuwaiti writer Saud Al-Sanousi.
Martyred Kuwaiti poet Fayeq Abduljaleel
The National Assembly building during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990. - KUNA

Washington responded by freezing all Iraqi assets in the United States and its subsidiaries abroad, as well as Kuwaiti assets, to prevent their seizure by Baghdad. Additionally, the Soviet Union ceased supplying weapons to Iraq. On November 29, the Security Council authorized "member states to use all necessary means” if Iraq did not withdraw from Kuwait by January 15, 1991.

After several failed diplomatic initiatives, Operation Desert Storm began on January 17 with intensive air strikes. The following day and for several weeks, Baghdad retaliated by launching Scud missiles at the Zionist entity and Saudi Arabia. The ground campaign against Iraq commenced on February 24, 1991, and three days later, it was announced that "Kuwait was liberated” and "the Iraqi army was defeated”.

The invasion had a profound literary and artistic impact, serving as inspiration for Kuwaiti and non-Kuwaiti writers. Kuwaiti novels addressed the invasion not only as a national disaster but also as a central theme in Kuwaiti literature.

Kuwait Marriott Hotel after it was burned down by the invaders.
Seif Palace after its destruction by the brutal invasion.
"Do You Allow Me to Love My Country?”, a book of poetry by renowned Kuwaiti poet Dr Suad Al-Sabah.
"The Bamboo Stalk", a novel by young Kuwaiti writer Saud Al-Sanousi.
"We Remain Kuwaiti", a poem written by martyred Kuwaiti poet Fayeq Abduljaleel during the Iraqi occupation in 1990.
"Tuyoor Al-Taji", a novel about Kuwaiti prisoners in Iraq by late Kuwaiti writer Ismail Fahd Ismail.
Oil wells set on fire by the invaders.

Renowned poet Dr Suad Al-Sabah addressed the invasion’s catastrophe in several notable works, including "Do You Allow Me to Love My Country?” and her poetry collection "Urgent Telegrams to My Country”. The young Kuwaiti novelist Saud Al-Sanousi explored the invasion’s aftermath in his novel "The Bamboo Stalk”, which won the International Prize for Arabic Fiction in 2013, highlighting the actions of the Kuwaiti resistance that claimed many lives.

Other prominent writers, such as the late poet Ismail Fahd Ismail, Laila Al-Othman, Thuraya Al-Baqsami and Suleiman Al-Shatti, also addressed the invasion in their works. The people of Kuwait stood united in confronting the invasion, exemplified by the martyrdom of Kuwaiti poet Fayeq Abduljaleel, who bravely defended Kuwait. Abduljaleel and other heroes of the Kuwaiti resistance displayed remarkable courage and bravery, and their legacy will remain etched in the memory and conscience of the Kuwaiti people.