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Soddy gunman killed, 2 Kuwaiti cops hurt
Great ... imports.
More on yesterday's article...

A Saudi gunman was killed and two Kuwaiti policemen wounded when security forces clashed with militants in southern Kuwait on Saturday, security sources said. One gunman was captured during the firefight in Umm al-Haiman as security forces surrounded suspected Islamist militants, the Interior Ministry said. Security sources said two others were arrested later. "A big cache of weapons, explosives and munitions was also seized with the gunmen," a ministry statement said.
They sound very devout...
Up to six militants got away and police were searching for them, they said. One source told Reuters the dead gunman was identified as Saudi national Hamada al-Enezi. The ministry statement did not give his nationality.
Don't want to dwell on the fact that he's a Soddy...
The U.S. embassy urged Americans to take precautions. "We advise American citizens to avoid the areas around Arifjan and Umm al-Haiman," it said on its Web site. "Report any suspicious activity to police 
 and continue to maintain a high level of security awareness. U.S. citizens are reminded of the potential for further terrorist actions against U.S. citizens abroad, including in the Persian Gulf region."

An Internet statement from a previously unknown group — Kuwait Mujahideen — said the firefight broke out after its men attacked a base in Umm al-Haiman. It said militants killed several Kuwaiti soldiers, three U.S. troops and a Korean. The statement's authenticity could not be verified and officials were not available to comment. A Kuwaiti security source said police had seized maps and sketches of what seemed to be buildings in Kuwait, but there was no official confirmation of this. Authorities launched a crackdown on suspected militants this week after two members of the security forces and one gunman were killed in a firefight on Monday in a Kuwait city suburb. Around 40 suspects have been detained. Umm al-Haiman is close to Kuwait's largest refinery, but security sources said there was no indication the attack was aimed at any oil facilities. The sources said Kuwaiti forces raided desert camps in the area on Friday night, and information from arrested militants had led them to the group involved in Saturday's firefight. The prime minister and other officials visited the scene.

Energy Minister Sheikh Ahmad al-Fahd al-Sabah said the security forces must sort out the problem of Islamist militants. "Extremist militant groups have started appearing in Kuwait. This is natural when we see that these sorts of groups are active in more than one neighboring state," he told reporters. "The security apparatus must finish this issue at this stage 
 and we must not shy from coordinating with our neighbors in exchanging information so that we can surround this (militant) group and control it," the minister said. Sheikh Ahmad also urged Muslim clerics "to take control of them (militants) ideologically."
They already have. That's why you have this problem.

Posted by: Dan Darling 2005-01-16
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=53810