Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, July/August 2003, page 23

Special Report

 

No Happy Endings for Kuwaitis Missing in Saddam Hussain's Iraq

 

By Kurt Holden

It appears that there will be no happy ending in the saga of the 625 Kuwaitis and third- country nationals who have been missing since the Iraqi army invaded Kuwait one August night in 1990. As the attack began, Kuwait's ruler, Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, fled along with Crown Prince Saad Abdallah Al-Sabah. The two leaders escaped just minutes before the Iraqis arrived and killed another member of the royal family attempting to organize a defense. Sheikh Jaber and Crown Prince Saad drove through the night across the border into Saudi Arabia, where they were received by surprised members of the Saudi royal family, who escorted them to the capital city of Riyadh.

Thus began a period that lasted more than six months, during which the Kuwaitis sought to build up an army in exile. An increasing number of Kuwaitis made the long overland trip from Kuwait to Riyadh in order to enlist in the Kuwaiti government forces. They were joined by Kuwaitis from the United States, England and many other parts of the world who wanted to help defend their country.

The defense of Kuwait began as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates joined a coalition force comprising some 30 countries, including the U.S., Britain, and Egypt. The aerial war to liberate Kuwait began on Jan. 16, 1991, and the coalition's ground forces attacked occupied Kuwait on Feb. 23. The war formally ended within four days, when Saddam Hussain officially accepted the terms of a cease-fire declared by then-U.S. President George H.W. Bush.

Many of the Iraqi troops were killed while attempting to flee from Kuwait. The coalition forces, taking the long route out of the desert, doubled back north of a large portion of the Iraqi army. In addition, the Iraqi forces were halted by air attacks on both sides of the large retreating Iraqi column, effectively trapping the bulk of the retreating troops on a "highway of death." Most surrendered or were forced to walk in groups of hundreds, wandering across the desert until they reached Iraq's original lines.

For days the demoralized Iraqi troops straggled back from the places they had so briefly dominated. What followed was a series of tragic events, starting with abortive rebellions by the Kurds in the north and the Shi'i and "marsh Arabs" in the south. These rebellions, encouraged by then-President Bush in his statements to the Iraqi people, were met with no assistance from U.S. and other coalition forces. Given the American and British inaction, Saddam Hussain's troops quickly vanquished the rebelling forces.

Many Iraqi troops surrendered to the coalition forces and sought refuge from their former colleagues in Saddam's army. Some of these were allowed to immigrate to the United States. Others were sent to internment camps in Saudi Arabia, where they lived until a majority of them were repatriated after this year's Gulf war. Others fled to Iran, from whence some now are returning to Iraq.

 

In the aftermath of this year's war the absent Kuwaitis were expected to appear at any time.

In the weeks after the 1991 war coalition forces stopped shooting, as most foreign troops were returning to their home countries, it was not clear what had happened to the Kuwaiti citizens who had been arrested by the Iraqis but had not yet found their way back home. Within four or five months it became obvious that 625 of those Kuwaitis had not returned at all, and they were officially declared missing persons.

Unfortunately, that remained their status until the end of this year's war, in the aftermath of which the absent Kuwaitis were expected to appear at any time, perhaps within days of the collapse of Saddam Hussain's forces. This week, however, it finally has become clear that some or all of the 617 men and 8 women who went missing 12 years ago will not be coming home.

On May 16, it was reported that Abdul Aziz al-Qubaisi Abu Musab, a member of Ahmad Chalabi's Iraqi National Congress, had been given a map purportedly drawn up by a man who had helped execute the victims and then driven the bodies to a burial site. Upon receiving a copy of the map, Abu Musab set out to excavate the area where the missing people had apparently vanished. Their bodies were found in three adjacent areas, buried under 10 feet of sand and gravel.

Only three months after they were transported to Iraq, according to the Iraqi driver, the Kuwaitis were taken from prison in four truckloads to an intelligence training school in Baghdad for execution. The frightened prisoner's, blindfolded and with their hands bound by green plastic ties, were ordered to stand in horseshoe formations. They were then machine-gunned until each was dead. Another group was then ordered into the same formation and the process repeated until all the prisoners had been executed. The bodies then were taken to be secretly buried, according to the Iraqi driver.

 

Guarding the Graves

There were four such drivers and 15 laborers present at the execution. The latter were ordered to bury the Kuwaitis in 10-foot pits. The drivers and the rest of the burial party were required to remain in the area for about three months. When it finally was clear that the graves would remain intact, they were allowed to leave.

Thankfully, the Iraqi driver had the presence of mind to draw up a detailed map of the area, near the Lake Habbaniya dam, around which there are no villages or towns. He took special care of the map to ensure that the site could be easily located. If forensic evidence confirms the driver's account, saysPatrick E. Tyler of The New York Times, "the mass grave here would answer one of the most painful and enduring mysteries for Kuwaitis."

Over the years Kuwaitis have worked unremittingly to keep alive the case of their missing countrymen. Visitors to Kuwait heard the life stories of all the disappeared in a special museum dedicated to keeping their memory alive. Regular briefings were held, not only for the benefit of international visitors, but also so that Kuwaiti schoolchildren could be aware of their compatriots' plight.

In the final days of the second Gulf war, as Saddam Hussain's overthrow became apparent, people were expecting to find some trace of these missing persons. As town after town came under the control of U.S. and British troops, however, no sign at all of the missing Kuwaitis emerged. This was inexplicable, and in stark contrast to the aftermath of Iraq's war with Iran in the 1980s, after which nearly all the prisoners on both sides eventually were released.

Abu Musab's new evidence seems to solve the mystery of the absent Kuwaitis, a tale that only darkened as its outcome was revealed. This crime is, sadly, all too similar to the other inexplicable and senseless crimes committed by Saddam Hussain during and after the 1991 Gulf war, such as the wanton destruction of Kuwait's oilfields. It is similar to the crimes of Stalin and Hitler—the only difference being a matter of scale. For the Kuwaiti victims and their loved ones, the massacre of 625 prisoners of war will remain an unforgivable offense for all time.

Kurt Holden, a retired educational filmmaker, divides his time between the U.S. and the Mideast.

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