One U.S. marine was killed and another injured Tuesday in a shooting incident during military training on a Kuwaiti island in the Gulf, the U.S. Navy said.
The Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior stated that "the American forces in Kuwait were exposed to a terrorist attack in which one soldier died and another injured. The two Kuwaiti assailants were also died after American troops fired back at them," a statement by the Interior ministry said.
The statement identified the assailants as Anas Ahmad Adelraheem Al-Kandari, 21, and Jassim Hamad Mubarak Salem Al-Hajri, 26.
Earlier, Lt. Josh Frey of the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet in Bahrain said "It is unknown who the gunmen are. The incident is under investigation,"
"The island of Failaka is sealed off now and no one can get in now," sources told Reuters. "A civilian vehicle fired at the Americans who returned fire and killed two people in the car." Marines later found three AK-47s and ammunition inside the vehicle.
Washington has said the war games, dubbed Eager Mace 2002, are routine and not related to any possible war to oust Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. The two-week war games started Oct. 1 after the amphibious transport ships USS Mount Vernon and the USS Denver arrived in Kuwait waters and began unloading 1,000 Marines and their equipment.
(Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
