Which of the following statements is true about the 'First Gulf War'?

Statement 01: A massive coalition force of 660,000 troops from 34 countries fought against Iraq in the First Gulf War.

Statement 02: Nearly 75 per cent of the coalition forces were from the US.

Both the Statements are true

The correct answer is Option 1 - Both the Statements are true

Statement 01: A massive coalition force of 660,000 troops from 34 countries fought against Iraq in the First Gulf War. (CORRECT)

Statement 02: Nearly 75 per cent of the coalition forces were from the US. (CORRECT)

In August 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait, rapidly occupying and subsequently annexing it. After a series of diplomatic attempts failed at convincing Iraq to quit its aggression, the United Nations mandated the liberation of Kuwait by force. For the UN, this was a dramatic decision after years of deadlock during the Cold War. US President George H.W. Bush hailed the emergence of a ‘new world order’. A massive coalition force of 660,000 troops from 34 countries fought against Iraq and defeated it in what came to be known as the First Gulf War. However, the UN operation, which was called ‘Operation Desert Storm’, was overwhelmingly American. An American general, Norman Schwarzkopf, led the UN coalition and nearly 75 per cent of the coalition forces were from the US. Although the Iraqi President, Saddam Hussein, had promised “the mother of all battles”, the Iraqi forces were quickly defeated and forced to withdraw from Kuwait. The First Gulf War revealed the vast technological gap that had opened up between the US military capability and that of other states. The highly publicised use of so-called ‘smart bombs’ by the US-led some observers to call this a ‘computer war’. Widespread television coverage also made it a ‘video game war’, with viewers around the world watching the destruction of Iraqi forces live on TV in the comfort of their living rooms.