INTERIOR MINISTER ON REHAB CENTER, RECENT TERROR

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 KUWAIT 000877 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/02/2029 TAGS: PREL PTER PGOV SNAR PINR KU IR SUBJECT: INTERIOR MINISTER ON REHAB CENTER, RECENT TERROR PLOT, AND DRUG TRAFFICKING-TERROR LINKAGES Classified By: Ambassador Deborah K. Jones for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (S) Summary: A focused Interior Minister told the Ambassador September 2 that he supported further cooperation on CT. Accepting the Ambassador,s congratulations on rolling up a Kuwaiti group planning attacks against Camp Arifjan and Kuwaiti targets, Shaykh Jaber clearly heard the Ambassador,s message on the need for greater intel sharing, saying he sought free and frank exchange to meet the mutual threat, and revealing that the plotters had also planned to attack the Amiri Palace. The Minister was pleased to learn a Kuwaiti team of doctors and psychiatrists is visiting GTMO, as he had earlier suggested, and noted he would visit the rehab center after Eid. An uptick in smuggling of hashish into Kuwait from Iran by sea demonstrated that the terrorists were in need of funds, the Minister commented, but also showed Iran was allowing this traffic to continue unhindered. End Summary. GTMO -------------- ¶2. (S) In a cordial meeting September 2, the Ambassador, recently returned from leave, and Interior Minister Shaykh Jaber Khalid Al Sabah discussed recent security developments and concerns. The Ambassador informed Shaykh Jaber that ) following up on his earlier suggestion ) a Kuwaiti team of experts would visit GTMO today to review the medical/psychological files of Kuwait,s remaining four detainees so as to better prepare a rehabilitation program for them. Shaykh Jaber emphasized that Kuwait,s goal is to build a better program even than that in Saudi Arabia ) &we will start where they left off.8 Asked when the Salam Center rehab facility would be operational and who would use it (since the USG would like to see the facility in operation with other extremists to better assess its effectiveness), the Minister remained silent on the issue of who other than GTMO detainees might use the facility, but said he would visit the center after Eid and would look closely at its program. Shaykh Jaber observed that no rehab program could be 100 percent effective, but that a good program could succeed in changing the thinking of many of them and could cut their roots to extremism. The Minister took on board the Ambassador,s comment that the Salam Center did not appear to be built in a way to prevent violent extremists from fashioning weapons from materials readily at hand (porcelain bathroom fixtures, long air conditioning cords, etc.),and said he would look into reports that detainees at the facility would receive monthly stipends in excess of USD2500, as part of their rehabilitation. A Race Against the Terrorists -------------- ¶3. (S) Citing the recent attack on Saudi Arabia,s Mohammed bin Naif, Shaykh Jaber said the extremists were clever and were capable of thinking ahead. It consequently was critical that those combating the terrorists also be diligent ) ¬hing they do should surprise us.8 Likening the terrorist element to nuclear waste, Shaykh Jaber said careful handling and long-term commitment were necessary to be successful in containing the (radioactive) fallout; &we have a whole generation now with this thinking,8 which to combat effectively required intensive cooperation between the GCC states, the USA and Europe since &the terrorists threaten us all.8 The Ambassador noted the recent Fouad Al-Hashem opinion piece in the Arabic press which belittled the would-be assassin of MbN for having planted explosives in his colon, noting that someone else must have assisted in placing it there; the Minister chuckled, saying &yes, it is effective when we shame them in this way.8 Terror Plot Roll-Up: U.S. can Help with Investigation -------------- ¶4. (S) The Ambassador congratulated Shaykh Jaber for Kuwait,s success in thwarting a plot against KSS headquarters and U.S. military facilities at Camp Arifjan, noting that the U.S. was pleased to have been able to provide information that assisted with discovery of the plot, and stood ready to assist further in the investigation. Pro-active and robust information-sharing is of benefit to all, the Ambassador stated, pressing the Minister for greater cooperation in this area. The Minister said he hoped the flow of information would be free and frank ) &we will not keep any secrets from you and you will not keep any secrets from us.8 He noted, however, two concerns: first, that the U.S. needed to provide more information than just a name if it wanted Kuwait to act ) &we can,t do it with just a name here,8 and second that there needed to be a balance between KUWAIT 00000877 002 OF 003 cutting terrorist roots and following where they lead. Monitoring and observation so as to be able to act when a serious threat emerges should not be discounted as an effective strategy. It had worked in the case of the latest plot, the Minister said, adding that the Kuwaiti extremists had been planning attacks on several Kuwaiti targets, to include the Amiri Palace (previously, liaison had only confirmed KSS HQ and Shuweiba port). The Ambassador said we had witnessed commendable increases in CT efforts over the past year and asked if the Minister was receiving more top-level political support. Shaykh Jaber responded that it is the hard work of the services that is appreciated by the Amir, which is heartening to the staff and encourages further diligence. Courts, Tribes, and Theaters of Operation -------------- ¶5. (S) Both the Minister and the Ambassador expressed exasperation with leaks on security cases emanating from the Public Prosecutor,s office, as well as the early release of one of the Arifjan plotters, with the Minister adding that he is also frustrated with Kuwaiti Parliamentarians asking him to arrange conjugal visits and Amiri pardons for the Al-Kandaris involved in the latest terror plot. The Minister reminded the Ambassador that Kuwait had previously had more assertive State Security courts, but that the U.S. had lobbied hard for their abolition in the 1990's owing to human rights concerns. Turning to the involvement of the Al-Kandaris, the Ambassador asked if there might be something to the idea that extremist tendencies tended to spread within tribal/familial groups ) perhaps starting off with one member,s involvement in places like Bosnia, and spreading through other members to activities such as the terror attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Shaykh Jaber demurred, saying the Al-Kandari were more of a family/clan than a &real8 tribe like the Ajmis or Mutairis, deriving their name from their previous line of work as water-carriers. The Minister suggested it might be more accurate to say that there are extremist diwaniyyas and that the members of these groups, like the Al-Kandaris involved in the latest plot, recycle ) Failaka Island, then Peninsula Lions, then the Arifjan plot. Here, he alluded again to the GOK,s practice of keeping an eye on such groups through maintaining ties with some of their members. ¶6. (S) Shaykh Jaber differentiated between the AQ threat in Iraq and AF/PAK, saying the latter was much more dangerous. Iraq was an operational destination, and home to ex-Baathists who had been taught to worship Saddam as a god for 30 years and now their god was dead. A mish-mash of Islam and criminality overlay AQ operations in Iraq but was containable. Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan was much more dangerous, because there the terrorists were true believers, &real8 ideologues who were flexible in their means in order to obtain their ends ) for example, cooperating with Shi,a Huthis in Yemen to establish their foothold there. Terrorists Smuggling Drugs, Desperate for Money -------------- -- ¶7. (S) Shaykh Jaber said terrorists were increasing their criminal and smuggling activities, particularly the smuggling of hashish. Kuwait had recently made several large seizures of hashish coming in by boat from Iran. The good news is that this increased smuggling activity shows the terrorists are in desperate need of cash; the bad news is that there is clearly Iranian complicity, or at least turning of a blind eye, as such activities could not be conducted without Tehran,s knowledge/permission. Kuwait is increasing its vigilance, he said, but worries about countries with more porous borders such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which could serve as a &back door8 for drugs to find a market in Kuwait. Training Opportunities -------------- ¶8. (S) On departure, the Ambassador said the U.S. had secured six slots for MoI staff to participate in investigations training. The Minister expressed appreciation for this cooperation and said he would welcome additional training opportunities to assist Kuwait in addressing the shared threat. ********************************************* ********* For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit: visit Kuwait's Classified Website at: KUWAIT 00000877 003 OF 003 http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Kuwa it ********************************************* ********* JONES