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U.S. Marine loads her weapon during a live-fire exercise in the
Kuwaiti desert near the Iraqi border
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KUWAIT
CITY, December 4 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - A U.S. serviceman
and two Kuwaiti coastguards were wounded when Kuwaiti vessels on
patrol in coastal waters off Iraq collided after an Iraqi ship opened
fire on them, a newspaper reported Wednesday, December 4.
The
Kuwaiti Al-Rai Al-Am newspaper gave no explanation for the
presence of U.S. military personnel aboard what the Kuwaiti interior
ministry described as a routine patrol near the northern island of
Warba, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
Kuwait’s
coastguard regularly comes into contact with Iraqi boats in the
state’s territorial waters where Kuwait frequently stops and
searches vessels, the Kuwait Times newspaper said.
The
paper said that an interior ministry statement released on the event,
did not say if the incident took place inside Kuwait’s territorial
waters or what type of Iraqi boat opened fire.
Warba
island, essentially a 15-kilometer (9-mile) wide mud flat, lies some
two kilometers (1.2 miles) from the Iraqi coastline.
The
paper said that Kuwait regularly announces the interception of Iraqi
boats carrying goods in violation of the embargo imposed by the United
Nations on Baghdad since the invasion.
Kuwait
said Saturday, November 30, it intercepted two Iraqi boats
“infiltrating” the country’s territorial waters.
The
two boats were spotted before dawn off Ohah island, some 20 kilometers
(12 miles) east of Kuwait City, said the Times.
The
Pentagon late Tuesday denied that Kuwaiti vessels were fired upon by
Iraqi vessels in Kuwaiti waters. “There were no Iraqi boats and no
gunfire,” it said.
But
the Pentagon acknowledged U.S. troops had been aboard. It said a U.S.
soldier was slightly injured when two accidentally collided.
A
Pentagon source told AFP that three Kuwaiti coast guard boats had been
conducting maneuvers in Kuwaiti waters on Tuesday when the incident
occurred.
The
Kuwaiti interior ministry’s version noted Iraqi fire, contrasting
with the Pentagon version.
The
interior ministry said in a statement carried by the official KUNA
news agency: “An Iraqi boat opened fire on two Kuwaiti coastguard
boats near Warba,” 70 kilometers (44 miles) north of Kuwait
City but just two kilometers (one mile) off the southern coast of
Iraq.
The
ministry made no mention of U.S. personnel. There was no comment on
the incident from Iraq. The White House said earlier that the incident
served to underscore U.S. skepticism of Iraq compliance with U.N.
disarmament demands.
“We
are monitoring the event,” White House spokesman Ari Fleischer told
reporters as U.S. President George W. Bush headed to Shreveport
Louisiana to campaign for a Republican Senate hopeful.
“The
president has been briefed. And this underscores why the president is
not encouraged by Iraq’s fundamental approach toward the issues of
peace and disarmament,” Fleischer said.
The
Kuwaiti coastguard is constantly having run-ins with Iraqi vessels
entering Kuwaiti waters.
Iraq,
for its part, has accused Kuwait
of committing acts of “piracy” against Iraqi fishing boats in the
Gulf.
Kuwait
has sovereignty over a total of nine islands in Gulf waters, the
largest being Bubiyan in the north, but only Failaka is inhabited by
more than a coastguard crew.
Other
than Bubiyan and Warba, Kuwait also has the Failaka, Miskan, Auhha,
Kubbar, Qaruh, Umm Al-Maradim and Umm Al-Naml islands, many of which
boast white sands and coral reefs that make them popular weekend
destinations.
Kuwait,
which was invaded by Iraq in 1990 in an action that triggered the Gulf
War, is hosting an estimated 10,000 U.S. troops conducting exercises
in preparation for a possible invasion of Iraq if Baghdad fails to
comply with U.N. orders to disarm.
Kuwait
is considered to be a vital point of departure for such a military
action.
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