ABU DHABI Ñ As the U.S. military presence in the Gulf continues to grow, offficials said intelligence reports have warned that Islamic movements in the region may generate waves of unrest and that Al Qaida and its satellite organizations are plotting new attacks.
On Monday, the Kuwaiti daily Al Anbaa reported that an unspecified number of marines have arrived
in Kuwait. It said additional U.S. troops are sailing through Egypt's Suez
Canal and will soon arrive in Kuwait.
U.S. officials reported that the USS Lincoln, carrying the first F/A-18
Super Hornet fighters deployed outside the United States, arrived last month
in the Persian Gulf region. The USS Harry S. Truman is scheduled to arrive
in the Gulf in another six weeks.
The officials warned that a wave of anti-American unrest in Gulf Arab countries could result in attacks on
U.S. soldiers in the region as well as attacks on embassies, military
housing compounds and Americans working in the region.
Jordan and Kuwait are said to be the focus of Islamic attacks, the
officials said. They said both countries have large Islamic
movements that operate in relative freedom.
About 10,000 U.S. troops and 8,000 civilians are in Kuwait and about
2,000 soldiers are in Jordan. The United States is currently conducting
exercises in both countries. The Early Victor-2002, exercise in Jordan
includes troops from Britain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates and
formally began on Monday.
"The U.S. military footprint is growing bigger in the region and it's
become an easy target," an official said.
Officials said the Bush adminstration is considering raising the level
of alert from the current orange to red. Orange is regarded as a criticial
alert and that a terrorist threat is likely. A red alert indicates that a
terrorist attack is imminent.
On Monday, officials said U.S. troops came under attack for the third
time in a week. They said shots were fired from two vehicles near a training
area in northern Kuwait.
A U.S. embassy statement said said nobody was hurt and U.S. and Kuwaiti
authorities were investigating. Later, Kuwaiti officials said the shooting
came from hunters rather than insurgents.
Kuwaiti authorities have arrested scores of suspected insurgents,
increased security around embassies, schools and established roadblocks
along major arteries. The sheikdom has charged 15 people with being part of
an Al Qaida-inspired cell that planned a series of attacks on U.S. targets.
The suspects include a Kuwaiti army sergeant and the son of a Kuwaiti
politician.
Al Qaida has been encouraging attacks on U.S. and Western targets. A
statement attributed to Al Qaida praised the attacks on U.S. marines in
Kuwait.
"We congratulate our Islamic community on the bold, heroic holy war that
was executed by its sons of the faithful holy warriors in Yemen against a
crusader oil tanker and in Kuwait against the invading and occupying
American troops," the statement said.
Western embassies have warned their nationals throughout the Gulf to
exercise caution. Some embassies have urged their nationals to avoid crowded
market areas.
A recent U.S. study warned that despite widespread support for a U.S.
defense pact many Kuwaitis feel that they are being exploited by
Washington. The study cited the high expense of U.S. weaponry and deployment
of troops in the sheikdom.
"Despite the strong support for U.S. presence, the perception among the
average citizen is that by paying for all the expenses associated with U.S.
military presence, Kuwait is being taken advantage of," the Strategic
Studies Institute said in a report. "Such a perception has led the
government to emphasize that the military bases housing U.S. military
personnel and equipment [primarily Camp Doha at the outskirts of the
capital] are Kuwaiti and not U.S. bases."
