Iraq Country Handbook - Europe Link

the cease-fire would remain permanent, including the swift and complete
return of all coalition prisoners of war and full compliance with
UN resolutions. On 11 April 1991, an official cease-fire was signed
between Iraq and the allied forces, effectively ending hostilities.
On 24 April 1991, UN observation forces began to replace U.S. troops
on the Iraq-Kuwait border. Domestic unrest characterized post-Gulf War
Iraq. Regular Iraqi army troops, disgruntled by the inhumane conditions
under which they were sent to the front — in stark comparison to the
well equipped and supplied Republican Guard units — rebelled upon
their return to Iraq. Dissident army troops, backed by other Iraqi opposition
groups such as the Shi’a of the marsh areas and Al Basrah, mounted
a strong but short but strong attack on Republican Guard, local Ba’ath
Party headquarters, and other loyalist positions in southern Iraq. Intense
fighting continued for several weeks but, by the middle of March 1991,
most armed opposition ceased. A southern no-fly zone was initiated to
protect Shi’a Muslim rebels from air attacks. The zone initially extended
from the 32d parallel to the border of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
In northern Iraq, Kurdish rebels (peshmerga) consolidated control over
Kurdistan by capturing several prominent towns. However, these
advances ended quickly as Saddam Hussein brought the air and ground
assets that were not destroyed in the Gulf War, most notably helicopter
gunships. One million Kurds and other Iraqis fled to the more remote,
mountainous northern regions of the Iraq-Turkey border. The UN established
a safe-haven for Kurdish refugees, offering a degree of safety
from Iraqi troops. By late April 1991, Kurdish and Iraqi leaders reached
an agreement whereby the Kurds could return to their towns without
Iraqi interference.
The UN further ensured the safety of Kurds by establishing a no-fly
zone in the north of Iraq, denying Iraqi forces the use of fixed- or rotarywing
aircraft. In northern Iraq, allied forces established a security zone
for Kurdish refugees encompassing territory from the Turkish border
south to the 36th parallel, and from the town of Zakhu 45 miles eastward
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