United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission

UNIKOM
operation area	Iraq , Kuwait
German name	United Nations Observer Mission to Iraq and Kuwait
English name	United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission
Based on UN resolution	689 (April 9, 1991)
Beginning	April 1991
The End	October 6, 2003
Operating strength (max.)	254 military observers 933 military officers + civilian staff
Military out	Argentina, Bangladesh, Chile, China, Denmark, Fiji, Finland, France, Ghana, Greece, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Canada, Kenya, Malaysia, Nigeria, Norway, Austria, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, Russia (USSR to December 24, 1991), Sweden, Switzerland, Senegal, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey, Hungary, Uruguay, Venezuela, United Kingdom and United States of America
Deaths	18th
costs	approximately USD 600 million

The United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission (German observer mission of the United Nations for Iraq and Kuwait , UNIKOM ) was a peacekeeping mission of the United Nations in the Middle East after the Second Gulf War . It was based on UN resolution 689 of April 9, 1991 and was deployed in Iraq and Kuwait from April 1991 ; her mandate ended on October 6, 2003.

The aim of the mission was to monitor the demilitarized zone on the border between Iraq and Kuwait. It was managed from the headquarters in Umm Qasr / Iraq . Originally 300 military observers and additional civil forces were mandated. At the beginning of the mission, from April to June 1991 five infantry companies (one each from Austria , Denmark , Fiji , Ghana and Nepal ) and a logistics company from Sweden were deployed to protect the mission . These have been withdrawn from the existing UNFICYP and UNIFIL missions . Later, the mission's total strength increased to over 3,600; when withdrawn it consisted of four military observers and 131 civilian employees.

losses

• 8 military personnel
• 5 military observers
• 4 International civil servants
• 1 local civil employee

financing

As of November 1, 1993, two thirds of the mission costs were borne by Kuwait. The rest was raised through donations from other member states.

Chief Military Observer and Force Commander

No.	Surname	nationality	Beginning of the appointment	End of appointment	Remarks
1.	Major General Günther Greindl	Austria	Apr. 1991	July 1992	previously Force Commander UNDOF and UNFICYP
2.	Maj. Gen. Timothy K. Dibuama	Ghana	July 1992	Aug 1993
3.	Brigadier General Vigar Aabrek	Norway	Aug 1993	Dec 1993	interim
4th	Major General Krishna NS Thapa	Nepal	Dec 1993	Dec 1995	previously Chief of Staff UNTSO , from January 1994 change of position to Force Commander
5.	Major General Gian Giuseppe Santillo	Italy	Dec 1995	Nov 1997
6th	Major General Esa Kalervo Tarvainen	Finland	Dec 1997	Nov 1999
7th	Major General John Vice	Ireland	Nov 1999	Nov 2001
8th.	Major General Miguel Moreno	Argentina	Nov 2001	Nov. 2002
9.	Major General Franciszek Gagor	Poland	Jan. 2003	July 2003
10.	Brigadier General Upinder Singh Klair	India	Aug 2003	Oct 2003

Web links

• Information from the United Nations about the mission ( Memento of January 13, 2017 in the Internet Archive )