This Day in Kuwait History
Kuwait City, Aug 12 (KUNA) -- August 12, 1783: The Battle of Al-Raqqa took place during the reign of Sheikh Abdullah I Al-Sabah, the second Emir of Kuwait, between Kuwaiti forces and the Bani Kaab tribe (rulers of Arabistan). This was the first naval battle in Kuwaiti history, fought in an area known as Al-Raqqa, located between Failaka and Bubiyan islands.
1961: The Arab League and Kuwait reached an agreement to organize the deployment of League security forces in Kuwait, which had already arrived on September 10 of that year. The forces were deployed along the Kuwaiti side of the border with Iraq due to Iraqi threats against Kuwait during the rule of Abdul-Karim Qasim, who demanded the annexation of Kuwait after it declared its independence.
1962: The Constituent Assembly began deliberating on the draft constitution.
1962: Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah signed the Arab Common Defense Agreement with Arab League Secretary-General Abdel Khalek Hassouna.
1967: Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah issued a decree approving Kuwait’s accession to the Geneva Conventions signed on August 12, 1949.
1980: Al-Musailah Beach was inaugurated on an area of 73,600 square meters. It features three swimming pools, water games for children, beach games, gardens, green spaces, and restaurants.
1986: Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah issued a decree concerning the Ministry of Oil, assigning it responsibility for managing, exploiting, and developing oil resources to ensure the growth of state resources and increase national income.
1986: Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah issued a decree concerning the Ministry of Finance, assigning it responsibility for the state’s general treasury and directing its investments domestically and abroad.
1990: Saddam Hussein set conditions for the withdrawal of his forces from Kuwait, calling for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Saudi Arabia and Israeli forces from Palestine, Syria, and Lebanon, in exchange for arrangements with Kuwait that take into account what he termed his country’s historical rights in Kuwait.
1997: Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah inaugurated the Boin Al-Mahal, one of the historical landmarks rich in Kuwait’s ancient history, at a ceremony held at the Kuwait National Museum.
1999: Kuwait Petroleum Corporation raised fuel prices by varying percentages ranging between 30 and 50 percent.
2005: Poet Mansour Al-Kharqaawi died at the age of 80. He was considered one of the prominent figures of popular poetry in Kuwait.
2012: Speaker of the National Assembly Jassim Al-Kharafi submitted a letter to the Kuwaiti Emir regarding the impossibility of implementing the Constitutional Court’s ruling issued on June 20, which ordered the reinstatement of the dissolved 2009 Parliament’s powers, following a decree dissolving it on December 16, 2011.
2017: The Kuwaiti men’s skeet shooting team (team event), consisting of Abdullah Al-Tariki, Mansour Al-Tariki, and Abdulaziz Al-Saad, won first place at the Asian Shooting Championship held in Kazakhstan.
2017: The Ministry of Interior arrested 12 individuals who had final convictions, in connection with what is known as the Abdali cell, in enforcement of a Court of Cassation ruling.
2024: Sheikh Salem Al-Ali Al-Salem Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, dean of the Al-Sabah family and head of the National Guard, died at the age of 98 after a career full of contributions.
2025: The Cabinet approved a draft law-amending decree modifying certain provisions of Law No. 1 of 1993 concerning the protection of public funds.
2025: The Cabinet approved a draft law-amending decree modifying certain provisions of the Civil and Commercial Procedures Law issued by Law-Decree No. 38 of 1980, with the aim of accelerating litigation and keeping pace with digital transformation.
2025: The Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research launched the "Icarus" system, which is the first integrated national platform in Kuwait for high-performance computing and artificial intelligence. It serves as a supporting pillar for the scientific and research communities and enhances Kuwait’s presence in advanced technologies. (End) M.B.R. / N.S.N.
