Iraq returns 200,000 books seized during 1990 invasion of Kuwait

Kuwait’s foreign ministry announced on Sunday that it had received from its Iraqi counterpart 200,000 books that were seized during the invasion of the Gulf country by the former regime of Saddam Hussein nearly three decades ago.

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kuwait’s foreign ministry announced on Sunday that it had received from its Iraqi counterpart 200,000 books that were seized during the invasion of the Gulf country by the former regime of Saddam Hussein nearly three decades ago. Two months earlier, Iraq returned an initial collection of 42,000 books to its southeastern neighbor.

Abdul-Aziz Jaralla, Deputy Assistant Foreign Minister for Organizational Organizations in Kuwait, said that the handover comes “as a result of the cooperation of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the two countries,” but added that his nation “urges Iraq to return all of the national archives and all Kuwaiti possessions that were systematically stolen during the invasion.”  

Jaralla also explained that the handover comes as part of UN Security Council Resolution 2107 and was overseen by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).

Hazem al-Yusufi, an official from Iraq's foreign ministry, said that his nation intends to return all items that were looted during the invasion of Kuwait, but gave no further specifics. He also stressed Iraq’s intention to further develop “brotherly relations” between the two countries in light of Iraqi presidents’ recent visit to Kuwait and diplomatic envoys between the two countries.   

A truckload of books looted during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait being returned nearly 30 years later. (Photo: KUNA)
A truckload of books looted during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait being returned nearly 30 years later. (Photo: KUNA)

On Aug. 8, the Iraqi government handed over the remains of 48 Kuwaiti citizens who had disappeared during Baghdad’s 1990 occupation. DNA tests following the excavation of a mass grave discovered in March in the Samawa desert, about 200 kilometers west of the capital city of Muthanna province, confirmed that the remains belonged to Kuwaiti nationals.

Read More: Iraq transfers remains of 48 people missing for decades to Kuwait

Kuwait says that around 605 people went missing during the seven-month occupation of the country, according to Reuters.

In August 1990, Iraq’s army occupied Kuwait for seven months after Iraqi officials accused the neighboring country of using so-called “slant” drilling techniques to steal oil from the Rumaila fields in Iraq, leading to US-led military action. As Iraqi forces retreated, they set fire to over 600 Kuwaiti oil fields. 

Editing by John J. Catherine