1988 February-September- Iraq military operation "Anfal" results in 50,000-100,000 deaths throughout northern Iraq. Iraq uses chemical weapons, mass executions and forced relocation to terrorize the area.

1988 March 16 - Iraq attacks the Kurdish town of Halabjah with mix of poison gas and nerve agents, killing 5000 residents.

1988 August 20 - The Iran-Iraq war ends in stalemate; an estimated 1 million soldiers are killed in eight years of fighting. A ceasefire comes into effect to be monitored by the UN Iran-Iraq Military Observer Group (UNIIMOG).

1989 - Iraq sends military hardware to Lebanon in a proxy war with Syria.

1990 August 6 - UNSC Resolution 661 imposes economic sanctions on Iraq.

1990 August 8 - Iraq appoints puppet regime in Kuwait that declares a merger with Iraq.

1990 November 29 - UNSC Resolution 678 authorizes the states cooperating with Kuwait to use "all necessary means" to uphold UNSC Resolution 660; UN orders Iraqi withdrawal by January 15, 1991.

1991 January 17 - The Gulf War starts with coalition forces begin aerial bombing of Iraq, "Operation Desert Storm".

1991 February 24 - The start of a ground operation; liberation of Kuwait occurs February 27.

1991 March 3 - Iraq accepts the terms of a ceasefire. The primary ceasefire resolution is UNSCR 687 (April 3) requiring Iraq to end its weapons of mass destruction programs, recognize Kuwait, account for missing Kuwaitis, return Kuwaiti property and end support for international terrorism. Iraq is required to end repression of its people.

1991 Mid-March/early April - Iraqi military forces suppress rebellions in the south and north of the country, creating a humanitarian disaster on the borders of Turkey and Iran.

1991 April 8 - A plan for the establishment of a UN safe-haven in northern Iraq, north of the latitude 36 degrees north, for the protection of Kurds is approved at a European Union meeting in Luxembourg. On April 10, the US orders Iraq to end all military action in this area.

1991 April - Working in cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN Special Commission (UNSCOM) is established to ensure Iraq is free of weapons of mass destruction and to establish long-term monitoring program to see it remains free of prohibited weapons.

1992 August 26 - A no-fly zone, which prohibits the flights of Iraqi planes, is established in southern Iraq, south of latitude 32 degrees north.

1993 June 27, US forces launch a cruise missile attack on Iraqi intelligence headquarters in Al-Mansur district, Baghdad, in response for the attempted assassination of former U.S. President George Bush in Kuwait in April.