How Kuwait Times marked anniversaries of the invasion throughout the years - Yousef Abu-Ghazaleh
In 1992, the Kuwait Times marked the invasion's anniversary for the first time. The pain and emotion were evident across its pages. From left to right, the front page detailed an hour-by-hour account of the invasion and the battles fought by the Kuwaiti army to buy time for the royal family and armed forces to escape to Saudi Arabia and coordinate the liberation of Kuwait.
Photographs showed battle-damaged buildings, including the scarred Seif Palace. Other reports recounted the ordeal of prisoners of war tortured during the occupation, shedding light on the fate of more than 600 Kuwaitis who never returned. The coverage reflected the raw trauma of a nation less than two years removed from the brutal occupation.
Ten years after the invasion – 2 August 2000
By 2000, Kuwait had begun to heal from the pain of 1990–91, but deep wounds remained. With the passage of time, more people came forward to share their experiences.
Highlights from the anniversary issue included testimonies from Kuwaitis who had been forced to pay bribes to Iraqi troops to secure the release of detained relatives. In a rare moment of empathy, the coverage also examined the impact of Saddam Hussein's regime on ordinary Iraqis, citing food shortages and the leadership's indifference to their suffering.
Twenty years after the invasion – 2 August 2010
Two decades after Iraqi tanks crossed the border, Kuwait had shifted from processing trauma to preserving history.
Among reports on a Blackberry controversy and speculation about US military action against Iran, the paper carried geopolitical analysis of Kuwait-Iraq relations and a personal reflection by Badrya Darwish, wife of Kuwait Times founder Yousef Al-Alyan. Darwish shared stories of the invasion and addressed young Kuwaitis born after the war, reminding them that freedom is precious and must never be taken for granted.
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