Within Kuwait Hoaxes
How the Incubator Story Helped Sell a War
The famous testimony mixed concealed interests, wartime suffering and weak verification into a story that influenced public opinion.
On this page
- What Nayirah claimed and why audiences believed her
- The concealed family link and public relations campaign
- What hospital records and later investigations established
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Introduction
The most influential disputed atrocity story of the 1990–1991 Gulf crisis was the claim that Iraqi soldiers removed premature babies from incubators in a Kuwaiti hospital and left them to die on the floor. The allegation became one of the most emotionally powerful arguments used to build support for military action against Iraq after its invasion of Kuwait. It was repeated by politicians, journalists and human-rights advocates, and it helped shape public opinion at a moment when independent reporting from occupied Kuwait was extremely limited.[Wikipedia]WikipediaNayirah testimonyNayirah testimony
What makes the incubator story important in the history of deception and propaganda is not simply that parts of it were later discredited. The episode shows how wartime information campaigns can combine genuine suffering, incomplete evidence, emotional testimony and professional public-relations strategies into a narrative that becomes accepted long before it can be properly verified. Years later, the case remained a textbook example of how a dramatic claim can influence policy before investigators have established whether it is true.[Human Rights Watch]hrw.orgHuman Rights WatchKUWAIT'S "STOLEN" INCUBATORS6 Feb 1992 — Nayirah, it was recently confirmed, is the daughter of Kuwait's Ambassador to…
What Nayirah Claimed and Why Audiences Believed Her
On 10 October 1990, a fifteen-year-old Kuwaiti girl identified only as “Nayirah” testified before the Congressional Human Rights Caucus in Washington. Fighting back tears, she said that she had volunteered at a Kuwaiti hospital and witnessed Iraqi soldiers entering the maternity ward, removing babies from incubators, taking the equipment away and leaving the infants to die.[Wikipedia]WikipediaNayirah testimonyNayirah testimony
The testimony arrived at a moment when the world already knew that Iraq had occupied Kuwait and committed numerous documented abuses. Reports of executions, torture, looting and repression were circulating widely. Because many genuine atrocities had occurred, audiences were predisposed to believe an especially shocking new allegation. The incubator story seemed to fit an existing picture of Iraqi brutality rather than standing apart from it.[Human Rights Watch]hrw.orgHuman Rights WatchKUWAIT'S "STOLEN" INCUBATORS6 Feb 1992 — Nayirah, it was recently confirmed, is the daughter of Kuwait's Ambassador to…
Several features made the account unusually persuasive:
- The victims were newborn babies, among the most vulnerable imaginable.
- The witness appeared young, frightened and sincere.
- Independent verification from occupied Kuwait was difficult.
- The story was repeated by multiple public figures and media outlets.
- Human-rights organisations initially reported related claims, giving the allegation additional credibility.[Wikipedia]WikipediaNayirah testimonyNayirah testimony
The impact was substantial. President George H. W. Bush and other officials referred to the incubator allegations when discussing Iraq’s conduct. The story appeared in speeches, newspaper reports and public debates about whether military intervention was justified. Even people who were otherwise reluctant about war often cited the alleged killing of infants as evidence that action was necessary.[wikipedia.org]WikipediaNayirah testimonyNayirah testimony
The Concealed Family Link and Public-Relations Campaign
The most controversial aspect of the story emerged after the war. In January 1992, journalists revealed that Nayirah was not an anonymous refugee or volunteer nurse. She was the daughter of Saud al-Sabah, Kuwait’s ambassador to the United States and a member of Kuwait’s ruling family. That connection had not been disclosed when she gave her testimony.[wikipedia.org]WikipediaNayirah testimonyNayirah testimony
The testimony was linked to a broader public-relations effort organised by Citizens for a Free Kuwait, a group supported by the Kuwaiti government-in-exile. The campaign employed the major American public-relations firm Hill & Knowlton, which received millions of dollars to promote Kuwait’s cause in the United States. Evidence later showed that the firm helped organise witnesses, media outreach and public messaging designed to increase support for confronting Iraq.[Wikipedia]WikipediaNayirah testimonyNayirah testimony
Critics argued that withholding Nayirah’s identity deprived audiences of information needed to evaluate her testimony. Knowing that a witness is closely connected to a government seeking military assistance does not automatically disprove their account, but it is highly relevant when judging independence and possible bias. The controversy therefore became about both the accuracy of the allegation and the transparency of the campaign presenting it.[Wikipedia]WikipediaNayirah testimonyNayirah testimony
Supporters of the testimony responded that many other reports described Iraqi abuses and that Nayirah’s family connection did not necessarily mean she had fabricated what she claimed to have seen. Defenders also argued that the occupation of Kuwait involved numerous genuine crimes regardless of the fate of the incubator story. The dispute was therefore never simply about one witness; it was about how evidence should be evaluated during wartime.[Wikipedia]WikipediaNayirah testimonyNayirah testimony
What Hospital Records and Later Investigations Established
After Kuwait was liberated, investigators gained access to hospitals, medical staff and official records that had been inaccessible during the occupation. Human Rights Watch’s Middle East Watch division conducted a detailed examination of the incubator allegations. Researchers interviewed hospital personnel and reviewed records connected with reported infant deaths.[Human Rights Watch]hrw.orgHuman Rights WatchKUWAIT'S "STOLEN" INCUBATORS6 Feb 1992 — Nayirah, it was recently confirmed, is the daughter of Kuwait's Ambassador to…
The investigators concluded that they could not substantiate the widely circulated claim that Iraqi soldiers removed babies from incubators and left them to die on hospital floors. They found that some of the evidence used to support the story involved deaths that occurred at different times or under different circumstances than those described in the public narrative.[Human Rights Watch]hrw.orgHuman Rights WatchKUWAIT'S "STOLEN" INCUBATORS6 Feb 1992 — Nayirah, it was recently confirmed, is the daughter of Kuwait's Ambassador to…
Amnesty International, which had initially repeated versions of the allegation during the crisis, later withdrew its support for the claim after further investigation. The organisation stated that it had found no reliable evidence that Iraqi forces caused infant deaths by removing babies from incubators.[Wikipedia]WikipediaNayirah testimonyNayirah testimony
Importantly, later investigations did not conclude that Iraqi forces committed no abuses in Kuwaiti hospitals or elsewhere. Rather, they challenged the specific and highly influential story that became famous around the world. This distinction is often lost in retellings. The exposure of an inaccurate atrocity claim did not erase the reality of other documented crimes committed during the occupation.[Human Rights Watch]hrw.orgHuman Rights WatchKUWAIT'S "STOLEN" INCUBATORS6 Feb 1992 — Nayirah, it was recently confirmed, is the daughter of Kuwait's Ambassador to…
Why the Story Changed Public Opinion
The incubator allegation demonstrates a recurring pattern in wartime information campaigns. A vivid, emotionally compelling story can become far more influential than a large body of verified but less dramatic evidence.
Psychologically, the image was powerful because it compressed a complex geopolitical conflict into a simple moral narrative. Instead of debates about oil, alliances, international law or regional security, audiences were confronted with an image of helpless infants allegedly murdered by invading soldiers. Such imagery can rapidly shape public attitudes because it appeals to moral instincts before detailed fact-checking occurs.[JSTOR]jstor.orgHuman Rights, the Nayirah Testimony, and the Gulf Warby J Darda · 2017 · Cited by 15 — Under the coachingof Hill and Knowlton, Nayir…
The episode is often compared with earlier wartime atrocity stories that circulated during other conflicts. Historians note that some past atrocity tales mixed genuine abuses with exaggerated or unsupported claims, creating narratives that were persuasive precisely because they contained elements of truth alongside elements that were uncertain or false.[Arms Control Law]armscontrollaw.comArms Control Law Must the Belgian babies be bayoneted all over again?Arms Control Law Must the Belgian babies be bayoneted all over again?
Why the Incubator Story Still Matters
More than three decades later, the incubator story remains one of the best-known examples of disputed wartime testimony. It is frequently cited in discussions of propaganda, media verification, public relations and the relationship between emotional narratives and foreign policy.[JSTOR]jstor.orgHuman Rights, the Nayirah Testimony, and the Gulf Warby J Darda · 2017 · Cited by 15 — Under the coachingof Hill and Knowlton, Nayir…
The enduring lesson is not that all atrocity reports are false. In fact, many are tragically accurate. The lesson is that dramatic claims require especially careful scrutiny when they emerge during crises, when access is limited, emotions are high and political actors have strong incentives to shape public opinion. The Kuwait incubator story became famous because it sat at the intersection of real war, genuine fear, organised advocacy and inadequate verification. Its influence on the debate over the Gulf War ensured that it would become one of the most studied examples of modern atrocity propaganda and one of the most consequential disputed stories associated with Kuwait’s modern history.[hrw.org]hrw.orgHuman Rights WatchKUWAIT'S "STOLEN" INCUBATORS6 Feb 1992 — Nayirah, it was recently confirmed, is the daughter of Kuwait's Ambassador to…
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Endnotes
1.
Source: Wikipedia
Title: Nayirah testimony
Link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nayirah_testimony
2.
Source: jstor.org
Link:https://www.jstor.org/stable/26360802
Source snippet
Human Rights, the Nayirah Testimony, and the Gulf Warby J Darda · 2017 · Cited by 15 — Under the coachingof Hill and Knowlton, Nayir...
3.
Source: merip.org
Title: The News Industry
Link:https://www.merip.org/1992/07/the-news-industry/
Source snippet
3 Jul 1992 — MacArthur in the New York Times), revealed that the mysterious Nayirah is the daughter of the Kuwaiti ambassador to the...
4.
Source: Wikipedia
Link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuwait
5.
Source: Wikipedia
Title: Citizens for a Free Kuwait
Link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizens_for_a_Free_Kuwait
6.
Source: csmonitor.com
Link:https://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0906/p25s02-cogn.html
Source snippet
Christian Science MonitorWhen contemplating war, beware of babies in incubators6 Sept 2002 — He was a father, and he had just heard that...
7.
Source: hrw.org
Link:https://www.hrw.org/reports/pdfs/k/kuwait/kuwait922.pdf
Source snippet
Human Rights WatchKUWAIT'S "STOLEN" INCUBATORS6 Feb 1992 — Nayirah, it was recently confirmed, is the daughter of Kuwait's Ambassador to...
8.
Source: armscontrollaw.com
Title: Arms Control Law Must the Belgian babies be bayoneted all over again?
Link:https://armscontrollaw.com/2014/05/19/must-the-belgian-babies-be-bayoneted-all-over-again/
9.
Source: hrw.org
Title: violations pregnant womens rights amid israels assault
Link:https://www.hrw.org/report/2025/01/28/five-babies-one-incubator/violations-pregnant-womens-rights-amid-israels-assault
Additional References
10.
Source: c-span.org
Link:https://www.c-span.org/clip/public-affairs-event/user-clip-nayirahs-testimony/5026472
Source snippet
User Clip: Nayirah's testimony | VideoIt was later revealed that she was the daughter of the Kuwaiti ambassador to the United State...
11.
Source: govinfo.gov
Title: Nayirah, the ambassador’s daughter.Read more
Link:https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CREC-1994-06-16/html/CREC-1994-06-16-pt1-PgS6.htm
Source snippet
Congressional Record, Volume 140 Issue 76 (Thursday...16 Jun 1994 — '' Nayira's emotional testimony riveted human rights organiza...
12.
Source: youtube.com
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6f2m4n1NVo
Source snippet
The Nayirah Testimony: How a Fabricated Story Sold a War...
13.
Source: latimes.com
Title: la xpm 1992 03 06 mn 3337 story
Link:https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-03-06-mn-3337-story.html
Source snippet
Did it happen as purported eyewitnesses insist? Or was it an exaggeration, a product of hysteria, propaganda?Read more...
14.
Source: youtube.com
Title: How The U.S. Stole the Middle East
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnOdULpV810
Source snippet
"To Sell a War" Gulf War Propaganda New doc by Canadian filmmaker explores propaganda 680 NEWS...
15.
Source: youtube.com
Title: The Nayirah Testimony: How a Fabricated Story Sold a War
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmjii4phgzw
Source snippet
George HW Bush Used Propaganda to Justify Invasion of Iraq...
16.
Source: youtube.com
Title: George HW Bush Used Propaganda to Justify Invasion of Iraq
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKaGWMJW6s4
Source snippet
New World Order: Global Events 1990-1994...
17.
Source: open.substack.com
Link:https://open.substack.com/pub/hrnews1/p/how-amnesty-international-sides-with?r=2j8zox
18.
Source: naqvi-syed.medium.com
Link:https://naqvi-syed.medium.com/the-great-lie-of-the-gulf-war-how-a-false-testimony-changed-the-american-public-view-of-the-war-fe3bbbeea87d
19.
Source: mexc.com
Link:https://www.mexc.com/news/1195629
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