In 1968 he played a leading role in the coup that returned the Baath Socialist Party to power. As President he suppressed opposing parties, built up the army and its weaponry, and made himself the object of an extensive personality cult. During his presidency Iraq fought a war with Iran (1980–88) and invaded Kuwait (1990), from which Iraqi forces were expelled in the Gulf War of 1991. Forced to accept the UN terms for a ceasefire, he failed to cooperate with UN inspectors and Britain and the US launched air strikes against Iraq. He also ordered punitive attacks on Kurdish rebels in the north of Iraq and on the Marsh Arabs in the south. Despite the suffering of the Iraqi people as a result of continued UN sanctions, Saddam maintained his grip on power during the 1990s. Arguing that Iraq was developing and stockpiling weapons of mass destruction, the USA and the UK launched the Iraq War in 2003. This led to the swift collapse of the Baathist regime, and Saddam went into hiding. He was captured by US forces later that year and charged with genocide and crimes against humanity. A special Iraqi court convicted him of crimes against humanity in 2006 and he was sentenced to death. He was hanged on 30 December 2006.