ABU DHABI ŅU.S. troops in Kuwait have been warned that they face
attacks on the streets of major cities by Arab nationals opposed to any
Washington-led war against Iraq.
Kuwaiti government sources said the sheikdom has relayed an alert to
U.S. Central Command that American soldiers walking through the streets of
Kuwait City and other cities could be in danger. They said some Kuwaiti
nationals and Arab expatriates are seeking to provoke U.S. soldiers.
In one incident, a Syrian merchant attacked a group of U.S. soldiers
while they were shopping in the market on Kuwait City. The merchant lunged
at five U.S. soldiers with a knife, Middle East Newsline reported. Nobody was injured.
In another incident, an unidentified Arab national attacked a U.S.
soldier in another market in the Kuwaiti capital. Other soldiers saw the
Arab rushing toward the serviceman with a knife and their shouts scared off
the attacker.
More than 15,000 U.S. soldiers are in military camps throughout the
sheikdom. Over the next few weeks, they will be joined by at least 17,000
additional U.S. troops.
Last year, U.S. soldiers came under light arms fire in several attacks
in Kuwait. One soldier was killed and several others were injured.
Over the last week, at least three American soldiers were injured in
what were termed work accidents. One of the soldiers, identified as a
marine, was injured while working at an air force base. Another soldier was
injured in a collision between two U.S. military vehicles.