Operation Desert Scorpion was an American response to the crises between the United Nations and Iraq in February 1998. Sadam Hussein provoked the United Nations by refusing to live up to his obligations to allow full access to his military sites for inspection. American military units deployed to the region (Operation Desert Thunder), in support of a number of options.
Operation Desert Scorpion was a contingency plan that called for a single American division (The 24th Infantry Division), reinforced by some Marine units, to drive from Kuwait north to beyond Basra, cutting Iraq in half and hopefully provoking widespread rebellions.
This option was not carried out, as the United Nations Secretary General was able to negotiate a peaceful solution.
Famous quotes containing the words operation and/or desert:
“Waiting for the race to become official, he began to feel as if he had as much effect on the final outcome of the operation as a single piece of a jumbo jigsaw puzzle has to its predetermined final design. Only the addition of the missing fragments of the puzzle would reveal if the picture was as he guessed it would be.”
—Stanley Kubrick (b. 1928)
“The desert encroaches on the garden. No matter. Sand will do as well as flowers.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)