European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 21, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Special assignment Gil Hoeflich left and David Bellow americans working for a company hired to help clean up the largest Oil spill in history pour Salt water into a spoiled tidal Flat. They Hope to raise the water level and create a wave action that will separate the Oil from Bushes and other foliage. Such basins Are vital parts of the Gulf food Chain. War s dark tide continues Long after the fighting has stopped s Addam Hussein s troops put a new twist on the term Quot Oil War Quot when they pumped millions of Gallons of crude into the persian Gulf. For Days in january the world reeled from the sight of Birds fish and turtles suffocating in Oil As they struggled on the Slick Shoreline. But attention soon shifted to the air and ground wars the burning kuwaiti Oil Wells and the suffering refugees. Six months later with cleanup Well under Way the spectre of Black muck rolling in on the White beaches of Eastern saudi Arabia has faded. But those who live along the Gulf cannot escape the daily reminders that their land was one of the War s chief victims. Scientists and activists warn that it May be 20 years before the fragile coastal ecosystem recovers. The sensitive Marine food Chain has been decimated threatening a wide variety of mammals and hundreds of species of indigenous and migratory Birds. Quot we can Hope we can Pray and we can work to save some things but what has happened will change this Region forever Quot said Mahmoud Nowai Laty assistant director of the saudi meteorological and environmental Protection administration. Allied fighter pilots were the first to report the Oil Slick growing off the coast of Southern Kuwait spreading from the huge sea Island terminal. Within two Days the Grimy smell of Oil was Strong atthe4>audi�? 10 Miles from the Shore. Kuwaiti Oil experts said the pumps were capable of pouring 100,000 barrels of Oil at 42 Gallons per barrel into the water each Day. A second smaller spill was discovered North of the terminal where Allied aircraft had attacked Oil Laden iraqi tankers armed with anti aircraft weapons. The Pentagon condemned the iraqis act As Quot environmental terrorism Quot failing to not that almost 20 percent of the Oil came from the supertanker sunk by Allied aircraft according to experts monitoring the spill. Iraq s motive for opening the valves is unclear. Border. Within a week the Slick then eight Miles wide and 30 Miles Long was plainly visible on satellite  the . Military said air reconnaissance showed that the iraqis had opened pumps used to Load Oil onto ships at the terminal Quot there is no military advantage to Saddam whatsoever in this Quot president Bush asserted though military spokesman said later that the Slick could have hampered an amphibious assault on Kuwait had there been one. Some have accused Saddam of simply trying to inflict As much damage on Kuwait As possible before his army s inevitable withdrawal. Quot this was t intended As an act of War Quot said Michael Bailey a spokesman for the Hawaii based Earth Trust environmental group. Quot this was pure demented  Allied bombers destroyed the sea Island pumps and stopped the Oil flow Jan. 29, seven Days after the Oil was first spotted. By then the Slick had become the largest the world has known. Exact figures on the size of the spill Are still disputed although experts seem to agree that the original estimate of 15 million barrels was far too High. However current continued on Page 2 the persian Gulf stories by Luke Brit photos by Ken George