KUWAIT: British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher weighed the idea of sending special forces to Kuwait during the 1990-1991 Iraqi occupation. According to an article in the Guardian newspaper citing newly released Downing Street papers, Thatcher studied a plan to send supplies to the besieged British embassy in Kuwait City via SAS-style raids.

According to the report, Percy Cradock, Thatcher's veteran foreign affairs adviser, was asked to investigate the possibility of using military special forces to provide food and other life sustaining necessities to British diplomats trapped inside the embassy. "Outside, the embassy is under the surveillance of guards. Kuwait City itself is dense with Iraqi infantry. The occupants reckon they have supplies to last 50 days (about the end of October with reduced communications activity). After that they will need water, food and fuel," Cradock reported back to Thatcher.

"We looked at the possibility of resupply of our embassy by means of a military operation. This has been carefully examined in the Ministry of Defense and the military view is that the hazards in relation to benefits would be excessive. Kuwait and its approaches are heavily defended. There are mines on the beaches and plentiful air defense. The sea approaches are patrolled by Iraqi fast boats.

We have no available submarine and a sea approach would involve bringing a destroyer or frigate dangerously close to shore," he said. British diplomatic staff were eventually moved to Baghdad in December 1990. The US-led coalition assault, known as Operation Desert Storm, started the following month, in January 1991, to drive the Iraqis out of Kuwait.