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 Desert-Storm.com provides detailed events and images of the Persian Gulf War

Cooperative Research History Commons offers a timeline of events leading to the Persian Gulf War, and the invasion of Iraq.

A Prison called home

For most prisoners of war, returning home would be the only thought occupying their minds while being confined. For Bader Al-Mulla this was not the case. Being sent home and no longer a prisoner was something he wished he had never gone through.

Al-Mulla was 28 when he was taken away by Iraqi troops during the Persian Gulf War, leaving his wife without a husband and his 18-month-old child without a father.

Al-Mulla remembers when Iraqi troops began capturing Kuwaiti nationals and sending them to Iraq.

Iraq invaded Kuwait on Aug. 2, 1990 and Iraqi troops began taking prisoners in September.

He recalls the troops forcing themselves into his home and threatening to kill his wife and child if he did not follow them to their truck. Though he was reluctant to leave, he did not want to risk the lives of his wife and child.

“I never wanted to leave them, but I knew that if I did, I would have a chance to see them again,” said Al-Mulla in an interview with the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Rai Alam.

He remembers entering the truck along with many more Kuwaitis. They did not know what fate had in store for them, but they knew they were on their way to Iraq.

Al-Mulla remembers the soldiers being nice to them. Not only did they offer them food and water, but also shared cigarettes with them during the four hour drive from Kuwait to Iraq. He says the troops even apologized sometimes, which did not make sense.

“It’s as if they didn’t really want to do what they were doing,” said Al-Mulla. “I am sure they were doing this against their will.”    

Al-Mulla was imprisoned for over 12 years. He did not wish to recall the events that took place while he was in prison.

Manayir, Bader’s wife, and his son Yousef remained in Kuwait with their family throughout the invasion, which lasted 7 months. Manayir remembers talk about an escape but the family was too afraid to follow through, because there have been rumors in her town about people who were caught trying to escape.

“We were living from hour to hour, we had no idea when the next raid on our town would take place,” said Manayir. “We would often forget that we have gone days with no food or drink.”

Saddam Hussein, president of Iraq at the time, would often threaten Kuwait with chemical and biological weapons, which forced people into isolation.

Khaled Al-Ibraheem, a Kuwaiti national, welcomed people who were in need of shelter into his basement. “I knew that the best thing we could do was be together,” said
Al-Ibraheem. “Everyone felt like family.”

According to Desert-Storm.com, a website dedicated to the Persian Gulf War, Desert Storm began on Jan. 17, 1991. The operation started after Iraq refused to withdraw its troops from Kuwait by Jan. 16, a deadline set by the U.N.

“Children were excited, they would go out from time to time to take a look at the missiles and rockets being fired,” said Al-Ibraheem.

Kuwait was liberated a month later, on Feb. 27, 1991. Though most Kuwaitis were celebrating, there were many who refused to express their joy until their loved ones returned.

After losing hope of her husband’s return, Manayir re-married and had three children. She made sure that Yousef would always remember his father. “I was always afraid that he would forget his father,” said Manayir. “I would remind about his father constantly.”

To most Kuwaitis, including Manayir, the second war with Iraq was the last hope for remaining prisoners to return. According to Cooperative Research History Commons, a website which details the events that led to the war in Iraq, the United States and allies started their official invasion on March 19, 2003.

A few months after the invasion, there was news of a few Kuwaiti prisoners who found their way out of Iraq and into the safety of their home country. Bader Al-Mulla was one of them. He does not remember how long it took him or how he managed to reach the border of Kuwait. He says that it all seems like a dream now.

It took time for Kuwaiti authorities to confirm that Al-Mulla was a Kuwaiti citizen and that he indeed was a prisoner of war on the run. Jassim Al-Lahu, one of the police officers securing the border says that many Iraqis try to find their way into Kuwait by claiming they are citizens.

 “Many Iraqis try to enter Kuwait for a better life,” said Al-Lahu. “I feel really bad now that we suspected Bader Al-Mulla to be one of them.”

Al-Mulla managed to locate relatives who took care of him and offered him a place to stay. He found out that his wife had moved on and now has three children. More devastating, he found out that his parents had passed away.

“A part of me was very happy to know that my wife had moved on and that she was safe and happy,” said Al-Mulla. “I just really needed to see my son.”

Manayir’s husband gave Al-Mulla permission to visit them, and greeted him when he appeared at his front door. He led him to the guest room, and excused himself. Al-Mulla remembers sitting nervously in the guest room rehearsing what he was going to tell Manayir.

By the time Manayir entered the room with their son, Al-Mulla was in tears. In Arab culture, it is improper to have any kind of physical contact with a woman who is not your relative or wife. Even though Manayir had been his wife, he knew she belonged to another man. Al-Mulla couldn’t take his eyes off Manayir as he embraced his son and cried.

“He looked so different… if it weren’t for his eyes, I would have never known it was Bader,” said Manayir. “Nothing about him seemed the same.”

After they both stopped crying, they shared what had happened to them in the past 12 years, but Al-Mulla did not reveal very much. “What happened to me in Iraq is nothing I would want to bring up in conversation,” said Al-Mulla. “Besides, I wanted to find out more about her and my son.”

Yousef was very shy and sat next to his mother the whole time. After four hours, Al-Mulla needed to be alone, which was why he rejected Manayir’s invitation to stay for dinner.

“I did not want to make the situation more awkward than it already was,” said Al-Mulla. “The last thing I want to do is ruin what a wonderful life she has.”

After apologizing to Manayir for not being there for her throughout the years, Al-Mulla returned home to his relatives and stayed there for a few more days. Though his relatives were able to find a few good jobs for him, he refused. He just wanted to be left alone. “It was too much,” said Al-Mulla. “I lost my wife, child, and parents… I lost everything.”

Later on that week Al-Mulla was preparing to leave Kuwait and return to Iraq. His relatives did not take him seriously at first, but when they couldn’t find him one morning, they knew he was on his way back to Iraq, his home now. 

Al-Mulla today spends time in Iraq and returns to Kuwait when he can. He also visits his son from time to time.

“I escaped from prison only to find myself in another,” said Al-Mulla. “I have a feeling this time there is no escape.”