RAID NETS SAUDI, JORDANIAN MILITANTS; KUWAIT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 000512

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARPI

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PTER PREL KPAO ASEC KU SA JO TERRORISM
SUBJECT: RAID NETS SAUDI, JORDANIAN MILITANTS; KUWAIT
FIGHTS TERROR WITH ALL AVAILABLE TOOLS

REF: A. KUWAIT 446

B. KUWAIT 417

C. KUWAIT 406


1. Summary: In the latest round of raids on suspected
militants since security crackdowns began January 10, police
on February 5 reportedly captured five suspected militants,
including two Saudi Arabian and three Jordanian citizens.
Kuwaiti security forces have been authorized and are using
all necessary measures to round up suspected militants. The
security forces are enforcing existing laws long ignored and
the political establishment is proposing the strengthening of
others. End Summary.

Raid Nets Five Militants
--------------


2. Kuwaiti security forces backed by armored vehicles raided
two houses in the largely bidoon (stateless) Sulaibiya
neighborhood west of Kuwait City on February 5, capturing
five suspected militants, among them two Saudi and three
Jordanian citizens, according to local press reports.
Although the incident ended without fatalities, local
residents reported sporadic gunfire and security forces used
explosives to enter one of the buildings. The raid also
netted KD 20,000 (approximately USD 66,000) and two weapons,
along with an unspecified number of Kuwaiti and Saudi
passports.


3. According to local dailies, the captured Saudi nationals
had been granted Saudi nationality during the Iraqi
occupation of Kuwait, when they fled to Saudi Arabia. Prior
to this they had been stateless employees of the Kuwaiti
Ministry of Interior. Press reports indicate that all five
were brothers and all were formerly bidoon. A military
contact confirmed that two of the five had been serving in
the Kuwait armed forces.


4. The raid was the latest in a series of efforts the GOK has
undertaken to root out what it deems 'Al-Qaeda'-linked
terrorists who had been planning operations against Western
and GOK targets. Local Arabic daily Al-Qabas reported the
brother of slain militant Nasser Khlaif Al-Enezi (ref b) told
security forces that his brother had "plotted to kidnap U.S.
soldiers and Western civilians and execute them and film the
process." Prime Minister Shaykh Sabah Al-Ahmed has vowed to
"hunt (terrorists) down everywhere," and has authorized his
cabinet to use all available resources to support the effort.

Lifting the Veil for Security
--------------


5. Among the more controversial actions the GOK has taken is
the enforcement of a long-standing but unenforced 1984 law
banning fully veiled women from driving. After a fully
veiled man was reportedly stopped at a police checkpoint on
January 25, police began ticketing veiled drivers. Local
dailies reported February 4 that Kuwaiti police had handed
out 155 tickets to veiled female motorists during the
February 3-4 weekend. Press reports indicate veiled women
interviewed randomly at checkpoints support the enforcement
of the law if it improves security, although some men were
less enthusiastic about the new steps.


6. Conservative MPs, some of whom have been criticized for
attempting to get suspected militants released from custody,
have petitioned the GOK to utilize female police officers to
identify female drivers at checkpoints. Tribal Islamist MP
Khaled Al Adwah represented the group of MPs in a meeting
with the Ministry of Interior officials in which they "urged
the ministry not to expand the issue of showing faces in
order not to create problems, especially that people here do
not accept the faces of their women to be uncovered on
streets." Security officials at numerous checkpoints have
insisted that veiled women identify themselves by showing
their faces.

Changes in School Curricula; Training Imams
--------------


7. The GOK has also announced a series of measures aimed at
curbing the growth of extremist ideology. Undersecretary of
the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Dr. Adel Al-Falah
said February 4 that the Ministry would launch training
programs for imams and mosque staff on the promotion of the
concepts of moderation and tolerance. Correspondingly, the
Ministry has added two new subjects to Kuwaiti school
curricula: "Life Skills," which covers dialogue and respect
for others and Islamic values, and a second subject covering
the upbringing of responsible citizens.

GOK to Push Stronger Press Law
--------------


8. Claiming it is acting to curb extremism, the GOK also has
announced it will attempt to pass a much criticized, more
restrictive version of the current press and publications
law. The current law prohibits publications from directly
criticizing the Amir and provides for fines and imprisonment
for those who attack religion or incite people to commit
crimes. The proposed law, which was debated in the National
Assembly in 2003 and 2004 and did not pass, would allow the
GOK to close offending newspapers by fiat, expand the
government's powers of censorship and significantly weaken
libel protection for newswriters and publishers.
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