Musicians Michelle Brown and Mark Lloyd give away a free T-shirt as they perform a two-hour concert in Dubai for the US military on the USS Portland, January, 1991. The ship was docked close to Port Rashid. Courtesy: Michelle Brown
American military personnel on the USS Portland for a concert in January, 1991. Courtesy: Michelle Brown
The Abu Dhabi Choral Group and Barbershop Quintet entertaining US airforce troops at Al Dhafra airbase, Christmas 1990. Courtesy: Christine Rendel
Christine Rendel went from Abu Dhabi to Kuwait in March, 1991, to bring medical assistance. Ms Rendel was director of nursing a major hospital in Abu Dhabi then. Courtesy: Christine Rendel
Fires from uncapped oil wells in Kuwait. Courtesy: Christine Rendel
Kuwait airport was severely damaged during the war. Courtesy: Christine Rendel
Christine Rendel with a burns patient at the Ibn Sina Hospital in Kuwait. Courtesy: Christine Rendel
Life went on in the UAE during the war, and the annual Abu Dhabi Raft Race took place in 1991. Many residents past and present speak of a resilience. Courtesy: Christine Rendel
In the first of a two-part series to mark the 30-year anniversary of the liberation of Kuwait, we speak to residents who lived in the UAE during the time. The second part will focus on the UAE's role in the battle.
In the early hours of January 17, 1991, the phone rang at Christine Rendel’s Abu Dhabi home.
“Ms Rendel,” a grave voice said. “The war has begun.”
The call came from her manager at the city’s Al Jazirah hospital where Ms Rendel was director of nursing. Things would never be the same again.
Thirty years on from Desert Storm - the US-led airwar to drive Iraqi regime forces out of Kuwait – UAE residents have been reflecting on the uncertainty, fear and resilience that pervaded the country then. Some left, others kept the car full of petrol with a supply of water in the back should events turn serious but many stayed.
Military pick-ups with heavy machine guns were parked at most road junctions
“The build-up was very intense,” says Michelle Brown, a UK resident who was a singer at the now demolished Hilton Hotel beside the Dubai World Trade Centre. “The big fear was that the trade centre could be targeted.” The punishing aerial campaign quickly put Saddam Hussein’s forces on the back foot. Within a week, regime forces began dumping Kuwaiti oil into the Gulf and torching hundreds of oil wells as they retreated.
“Shamal winds blew the smoke in a haze down to the Gulf,” says Harry Bonning, a British resident who lived here then. “The sky had a thin, dirty brown appearance and you could smell the smoke. What made it worse was when it rained, your car ended up with oily spots all over it.”
Abu Dhabi TV and Dubai TV began relaying CNN, which was covering the war 24 hours a day. CNN’s coverage was fronted by Bobbie Battista and the news anchor became a household name in the UAE. “We all bought short-wave radios and listened to the BBC with its advice to UK citizens in the Gulf region,” says David Sutton, a British resident who lived in Abu Dhabi from 1984 to 2019. “Short-wave radios disappeared from the market because everyone was buying them.”
The end of this month marks the 25th anniversary of the cease fire that ended the first Gulf War. By February 28, 1991, an international coalition of armed forces had defeated Saddam Hussein and liberated Kuwait. The scale and scope of the multi-national operation was unprecedented in modern military history, involving combat forces from the United States, Saudi Arabia, Great Britain, France, Egypt and nine other nations, with non-combat forces from 18 others. Among those on the battlefield were the armed forces of the UAE, reported by the US State Department at the first Arabian Gulf state to propose military action when Iraq first threatened Kuwait in the summer of 1990. This photograph shows a review of the UAE troops who took part in what was also known as Operation Desert Storm by Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan, President of the UAE. It is reported that six members of the armed forces lost their lives in the liberation of Kuwait. As well as this image, the specially converted camouflaged vehicle, with a platform for Sheikh Zayed survives as a record of that time. It now forms part of the permanent collection at the Sheikh Zayed Centre in Abu Dhabi’s Al Bateen. Courtesy Al Ittihad *** Local Caption *** rv20fe-time frame-p10.jpg
As Saddam Hussein lashed out, Scud missiles rained down on Saudi Arabia and Israel and Ms Rendel recalls attending a Ministry of Health briefing on how to deal with the alarming scenario of chemical attacks. “I remember US officials meeting with the medical chief and myself in the hospital grounds [now Sheikh Khalifa Medical City] to explain how a decontamination unit would be set up outside.” The threat was taken seriously by authorities and this reassured many residents.
“Sandbag emplacements appeared at many locations and around government buildings,” Mr Bonning says. “Security guards we had known were now wearing blue camouflage uniforms and carrying rifles. Military pick-ups with heavy machine guns were parked at most road junctions.
A huge military build up in the region saw thousands of troops pass through the UAE. Ms Brownperformed a unique two-hour gig in January, 1991, on the helicopter deck of the USS Portland that was berthed in Dubai. Images of the concert show men in military fatigues relaxing on the deck of the ship, with Ms Brown serenading the contingent set against the backdrop of Port Rashid and Dubai Drydock. Pizza Hut and ice-cream from Baskin and Robbins was laid on.
“I posed for pictures with each of the crew who asked for a photo with me; the queue stretched as far as I could see.”
Tens of thousands of Kuwaiti refugees streamed into the UAE. Sheikh Zayed offered financial support, accommodation and refuge. Abu Dhabi’s Sheraton Hotel housed hundreds of Kuwaitis and Kuwaiti number plates became a common fixture on the roads. The UAE lost six soldiers in the battle to liberate Kuwait and also sent urgent medical aid in the aftermath.
American airforce F-15 C fighters flying over a Kuwaiti oilfield which had been torched by retreating Iraqi troops during the Gulf War. Getty Images
US Air Force ground crew loading 500-pound bombs onto an aircraft during operation Desert Storm - the mission to drive Iraqi forces out of Kuwait, January to February 1991. Mark Peters / Department Of Defence
Gen Norman Schwarzkopf, commander-in-chief, US Central Command, presents the Legion of Merit to Maj Gen Muhammed Al Badi, chief of staff of the UAE Armed Forces, for his role in liberating Kuwait from occupying Iraqi forces during Operation Desert Storm. April 2, 1991. Corbis via Getty Images
British engineers from the 7th armoured brigade in action on January 7 1991 in the Saudi Arabian desert. Patrick Baz / AFP
An Egyptian soldier holding a bayonet takes shelter in a hole to protect himself from Iraqi artillery fire on February 25, 1991 while Allied troops launch a ground offensive to free Kuwait from Iraqi invasion. Pascal Guyot / AFP
Egyptian army fire missiles on February 25, 1991 on the second day of the massive ground assault of the Allied Forces into Kuwait and Iraq. Pascal Guyot / AFP
An Iraqi Kurdish refugee child cries on April 11, 1991, in Isikveren refugee camp situated on the Turkish border with Iraq. Nabil Ismail / AFP
A Kuwaiti airfield worker waves to a departing of a Kuwaiti Air Force A-4 US-made Skyhawk jet fighter pilot 24 January 1991 leaving the Al Hasra air base for a bombing mission over Iraq. Chris Wilkins / AFP
Iraqi President Saddam Hussein (L) is seen sitting in a tent in Najaf (Irak) in 1991 during the Gulf War. AFP
French special forces capture Iraqi soldiers on February 26, 1991 somewhere in Iraqi desert. Mike Nelson /AFP
The wreckage of a British Airways Boeing 747-136 at Kuwait City airport, after BA Flight 149 was detained in Kuwait during the Gulf War, 1991. Colin Davey / Getty Images
Ms Rendel was among the first on the ground, leaving Abu Dhabi for Kuwait on March 18 as part of a UAE medical team. Aboard the military transport plane were four doctors, nurses, medical supplies, gas masks and dozens of Kuwaiti families who wanted to return.
“The skies were dark and grey with plumes of orange from burning oil wells all around,” Ms Rendel says. “Coming out of the plane, the air was thick and noxious with the smell of burning oil. I could see the fires all around me in the distance – uncapped wells set on fire and just burning continuously. Everyone was directed to a burnt-out building that was, apparently, the airport arrivals hall. It was black as night and entirely destroyed.”
Ms Rendel was assigned to the burns unit at Ibn Sina Hospital. The work was hard and unrelenting. Water and electricity supplies were intermittent. Staffing was minimal and the sole provision of care for patients was by remaining Palestinian nurses.
Back in the UAE, Ms Brown and many others were determined not to leave. Concerned families back in the UK urged them to return but Ms Brown says she felt strongly she could not leave Dubai when they were needed to keep morale high.
“We didn’t get passports but most who lived there in the 80s or 90s left their hearts there. You don’t turn your back on that.”
Thirty years on, Iraq has yet to recover. More invasions, civil war and violence have followed. Iraq’s people have suffered the most and are still trying to rebuild their shattered country. For the UAE, the war marked the start of a new era.
Rory Keelan, who worked for National Bank of Abu Dhabi at the time, points to the war as a moment when the world intruded. “It was the beginning of the end of a sort of ’age of innocence’ during which international affairs were something that happened to someone else far, far way,” he says. “Security became more of a concern.”
Be honest and transparent: It is always better to own up than be found out. Tell your partner everything they want to know. Show remorse. Inform them of the extent of the situation so they know what they are dealing with.
Work on yourself: Be honest with yourself and your partner and figure out why you did it. Don’t be ashamed to ask for professional help.
Give it time: Like any breach of trust, it requires time to rebuild. So be consistent, communicate often and be patient with your partner and yourself.
Discuss your financial situation regularly: Ensure your spouse is involved in financial matters and decisions. Your ability to consistently follow through with what you say you are going to do when it comes to money can make all the difference in your partner’s willingness to trust you again.
Work on a plan to resolve the problem together: If there is a lot of debt, for example, create a budget and financial plan together and ensure your partner is fully informed, involved and supported.
Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister. "We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know. “All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.” It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins. Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement. The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
How to get there
Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
Florence and the Machine – High as Hope
Three stars
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
