KUWAIT CITY: The Ministry of Interior announced Friday border securitymen foiled separate attempts by two Iraqi groups - of men and women - to infiltrate into the country to smuggle illegal weapons and narcotics near the northern Kuwaiti boarder post of Abdally late Thursday. The Ministry said an Iraqi man was killed in an exchange of fire with Kuwaiti securitymen, and seven men and a woman, all Iraqis, were arrested. Two Kuwaiti men, who collaborated with the suspects, were also arrested.
It added, in the first incident securitymen detected a group of three men and a woman, armed with machineguns and magazines, penetrating the northern Kuwaiti borders with Iraq. The suspects were surrounded and arrested.
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During interrogations, the suspects led securitymen to two Kuwaiti nationals who were allegedly collaborating with them to facilitate their illegal entry into the country. The two Kuwaitis were waiting for the suspects in an Abdally farm when they were arrested by securitymen.
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The Ministry's statement said the second incident took place around midnight when border security detected a second armed group of six Iraqi men coming through the Iraqi border into Kuwait. The six men were surrounded by border securitymen, who had to return fire, when the group began shooting at them. Four of the six suspects were arrested and one was injured, but died later due to serious bullet wounds. A suspect was able to escape and withdrew into Iraq.
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Some 14 kilograms of hashish, pistols, machineguns mobile telephones and Iraqi money were found in the possession of the second group. The ten suspects have been referred along with the seized items to the authorities. |