§ 17. Ms. ShortTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will provide his best available estimate of the number of casualties suffered by(a) Iraqi civilians, (b) Iraqi forces, (c) Kuwaiti civilians and (d) coalition forces.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonHer Majesty's Government are not in a position to provide an overall estimate of the number of people killed during the Gulf conflict. A total of 25 British service men were killed in action.
Mr. O'NeillTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the approximate distance and direction travelled by the 1st Armoured Division after 23 February.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonFrom its assembly area south of the Iraq-Saudi Arabian border, the ground campaign to liberate Kuwait took 1st (British) Armoured Division northwards on a course roughly parallel to but west of the Wadi al Batin, then east to a position just north of Kuwait city. In all, the division covered a distance of some 350 km.
Mr. O'NeillTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the operations of the 1st Armoured Division undertaken to re-take Kuwait.
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§ Mr. Archie HamiltonThe 1st (British) Armoured Division played a significant role in the allied operation to liberate Kuwait. The division proper went into battle late in the afternoon of Monday 25 February when it engaged elements of an Iraqi armoured division. The speed and success of this operation was typical of land engagements in Desert Storm. By the early hours of 27 February, the Iraqi troops had been rendered ineffective and around 200 tanks, 100 armoured personnel carriers and 100 guns had been captured or destroyed and some 6,000 prisoners of war had been taken. The skill, courage and speed with which the division achieved its objectives are an achievement of which all involved can feel justly proud.