The heavy rains in Kuwait have uncovered a number of mines that the Iraqi troops have planted during 1990-1991. This has led to the disruption of the camping season. After the campers complained, 48 mines were removed along with the closure of 18 desert sites.
The campers were urged for delaying their plans till the defense ministry finished their search in the area, Iraqi troops invaded and occupied Kuwait on Aug 2, 1990. Then an US-led international coalition evicted the Iraqi troops after seven months.
About 1.65 million mines were removed by Kuwait through multibillion-dollar contracts. Still, 350000 mines were left behind. The residential areas were severely damaged because Kuwait received 300mm of rain, which is 3 times the annual average rainfall. When a large number of Kuwaitis had set up modern camping ground for 4 months, the desert area was flooded during the initial part of the camping season. Since the campers had waited long to enjoy the beautiful uninhabited desert, they refused to pay heed to the warnings.
The unearthing of Iraqi Mines Disturbed The Camping Season