In 1991 Since Operation Desert Storm started on the 16th of January 1991 the United States and the United Kingdom have been bombarding Iraq with missiles fired from ships off the coast of Saudi Arabia. The United Nations authorised the use of force against Iraq if they had not ended their occupation of their Kuwait by the 15th of January 1991. A total of 32 countries supplied forces in the initial Iraq war including France, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Today marked the end of the air bombardment and the start of the ground invasion which saw 10,000 Iraqi troops captive in the first day and the liberation of Kuwait within four.
In 1971 The U.K. government brought in new immigration laws restricting the rights of Commonwealth citizens. Commonwealth immigrants were welcomed into the country to help with the labour shortage after World War II but public animosity and race riots lead to new laws being passed. On this day in 1971 Commonwealth citizens were under the same restriction as any other immigrant. The changes forced commonwealth immigrants to leave unless they had lived and worked in the country for 5 years.
In 1968 United States Marines and South Vietnamese forces celebrate the re-capture of the city of Hue. On the 30th of January 1968 North Vietnamese forces amassed a massive offensive against the South Vietnamese and U.S. forces. The offensive was known as the ‘Tet Offensive’ named after the new lunar year celebrations (the Luna year is the bases for many Asian countries calendar including the China). A ceasefire had been announced by both sides in order to celebrate the New Year but the North Vietnamese forces used this as a chance to land a surprise attacks. More than 80,000 troops launched over 100 attacks at different cities in the south in what became the biggest offensive of the Vietnam War. The recapture of the ancient city of Hue on this day in 1968 was celebrated but it was evident from the destruction caused by the fighting that the city would not be the same again.
In 1917 British and Indian troops recapture the city of Kut-al-Amara, in Mesopotamia (Now part modern day Iraq running along the Tigris River). The city was lost to Turkish forces 10 months prior along with 12,000 British troops that were captured. In early January 1917 Sir Frederick Maude and 150,000 troops attack a heavily fortified city to the north of Kut taking the city on the 29th of January and continued their assault down the Tigris River and arriving at Kut-al-Amara on the 17th of February 1917 and capturing the city this day.
