The UN Security Council passed Resolution 686, and Iraq accepted its terms — including the release of prisoners, renunciation of claims to Kuwait, and disclosure of mines and booby traps — formally ending large-scale combat operations of the Gulf War. The 100-hour ground campaign had already driven Saddam Hussein's forces out of Kuwait in a rout that left burning oil fields and the notorious 'Highway of Death' behind.
The Gulf War's ground phase lasted barely four days. After weeks of aerial bombardment, coalition forces under General Norman Schwarzkopf launched a ground invasion on February 24, 1991, outflanking entrenched Iraqi divisions and liberating Kuwait City within days. Iraqi troops retreating along Highway 80 toward Basra were caught in the open by coalition aircraft, producing the grimly named 'Highway of Death.'
President George H.W. Bush declared a ceasefire on February 28, and the following days were spent hammering out formal terms. Resolution 686, adopted March 2, required Iraq to rescind its annexation of Kuwait, release all prisoners of war, return looted property, and disclose the location of mines and chemical weapons.
The war's abrupt end left Saddam Hussein in power, a decision that would haunt American foreign policy for over a decade and set the stage for continued confrontation, no-fly zones, weapons inspections, and ultimately the 2003 invasion of Iraq.