This is the "liberation issue" — Kuwait's first post-occupation series, introduced after Iraqi forces were expelled in February 1991. The previous series had been looted en masse during the occupation, with Kuwaiti banknotes reportedly seized by Iraqi authorities and used or sold abroad. That contamination of the old currency supply made a complete replacement unavoidable, and the entire pre-invasion series was demonetized on short notice, giving holders a narrow window to exchange notes.
The compressed redemption deadline — publicly controversial — was designed to neutralize the looted stock before it could be reintroduced.
This is the "liberation issue" — Kuwait's first post-occupation series, introduced after Iraqi forces were expelled in February 1991. The previous series had been looted en masse during the occupation, with Kuwaiti banknotes reportedly seized by Iraqi authorities and used or sold abroad. That contamination of the old currency supply made a complete replacement unavoidable, and the entire pre-invasion series was demonetized on short notice, giving holders a narrow window to exchange notes.
The compressed redemption deadline — publicly controversial — was designed to neutralize the looted stock before it could be reintroduced.