On this day. . .

January 17th, 1991 was the start to Operation Desert Storm. The Gulf War Allies sent hundreds of planes on bombing raids in Iraq, to which President Bush later commented that everything was “going as planned.” One month later, February 27th, 1991, President Bush declares the war over.

In 2006 alone, UN human rights officials estimate over 34,000 civilians were killed. There are fears violence will only intensify as a result of the circumstances surrounding the execution of Saddam Husein and his aides, who were from the Sunni community.