lennart
13-08-03, 14:48
Riots shut Kuwaiti border
Travellers barred from entering Iraq after unrest Fuel shipments help restore
calm in Basra
KUWAIT—Kuwait temporarily shut its border with Iraq yesterday and Sunday, barring travellers from leaving, after riots by Iraqis in the town of Safwan just north of the oil-rich emirate, a Kuwaiti official source said.
The official said the al-Abdali border crossing was shut for several hours Sunday and again yesterday after riots in which cars and trucks, many belonging to Kuwaitis, were damaged by Iraqis protesting deteriorating living conditions months after the U.S.-led invasion of their country.
"We closed down the border for several hours on both days. People coming in from Iraq or fleeing the situation were allowed in but those wanting to go out of Kuwait were stopped from doing so in order to protect them," the official, who requested anonymity, told Reuters in Kuwait City.
The official said the main grievance was the lack of fuel.
"A lot of fuel is being sent from Jordan and Kuwait to Iraq and it is supposed to be given to the Iraqis, but most of it is being stolen and smuggled to Iran instead. That's the main problem behind the riots," he said.
Rioters also took to the streets over the weekend in nearby Basra, where British troops patrolled in tanks as stone-throwing Iraqis rampaged in protest at fuel and power shortages, which officials blamed on sabotage of electricity lines and the poor condition of refineries.
Calm returned to Basra yesterday as forces under British command delivered millions of litres of fuel to gasoline stations and electricity was restored to most parts of the southern Iraqi city, military officials said.
Kuwait's al-Watan daily newspaper said riots broke out in Safwan early Sunday when nearly 500 Iraqis gathered near the Kuwait border and set fire to tires and wood.
They complained of shortages of water, electricity and fuel, the paper said. Some carried anti-Kuwaiti placards. Resentment as been long and mutual between Iraq and the smaller, wealthier neighbour it invaded in 1990.
The Kuwaiti official said about eight Kuwaiti trucks were damaged. Al-Watan said several Kuwaiti drivers trying to cross were attacked and the loads of four trucks were stolen as well as a tanker carrying water.
In Basra, drivers were lining up at gas stations yesterday after coalition forces brought in enough fuel to fill 550,000 cars, for five days, the British said.
For two days, residents joined kilometres-long queues for gas as they tried to cope with 50C temperatures and high humidity. Power stations had been running on standby generators.
Fuel arrived yesterday by ship at Az Zubayhr and road tankers were escorted to Basra by a British convoy, officials said. U.S. soldiers escorted a convoy of 25 road tankers from Kuwait, destined for towns and provinces throughout southeast Iraq.
Three soldiers from the U.S. 4th Infantry Division were in stable condition yesterday after guerrillas ambushed their patrol in Shumayt, a day after a homemade bomb killed an U.S. military police officer at an Iraqi police station north of Baghdad.
http://www.thestar.ca/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1060639814794&call_page=TS_World&call_pageid=968332188854&call_pagepath=News/World&pubid=968163964505&StarSource=email
Dit lijkt me toch een nachtmerrie scenario voor Koeweit, miljoenen straatarme Iraqis die op een steenworp afstand wonen van 800,000 steenrijke Koeweiti's. (ps. er wonen 2.1miljoen mensen in koeweit maar 1.3miljoen zijn buitenlandse arbeiders.)
Travellers barred from entering Iraq after unrest Fuel shipments help restore
calm in Basra
KUWAIT—Kuwait temporarily shut its border with Iraq yesterday and Sunday, barring travellers from leaving, after riots by Iraqis in the town of Safwan just north of the oil-rich emirate, a Kuwaiti official source said.
The official said the al-Abdali border crossing was shut for several hours Sunday and again yesterday after riots in which cars and trucks, many belonging to Kuwaitis, were damaged by Iraqis protesting deteriorating living conditions months after the U.S.-led invasion of their country.
"We closed down the border for several hours on both days. People coming in from Iraq or fleeing the situation were allowed in but those wanting to go out of Kuwait were stopped from doing so in order to protect them," the official, who requested anonymity, told Reuters in Kuwait City.
The official said the main grievance was the lack of fuel.
"A lot of fuel is being sent from Jordan and Kuwait to Iraq and it is supposed to be given to the Iraqis, but most of it is being stolen and smuggled to Iran instead. That's the main problem behind the riots," he said.
Rioters also took to the streets over the weekend in nearby Basra, where British troops patrolled in tanks as stone-throwing Iraqis rampaged in protest at fuel and power shortages, which officials blamed on sabotage of electricity lines and the poor condition of refineries.
Calm returned to Basra yesterday as forces under British command delivered millions of litres of fuel to gasoline stations and electricity was restored to most parts of the southern Iraqi city, military officials said.
Kuwait's al-Watan daily newspaper said riots broke out in Safwan early Sunday when nearly 500 Iraqis gathered near the Kuwait border and set fire to tires and wood.
They complained of shortages of water, electricity and fuel, the paper said. Some carried anti-Kuwaiti placards. Resentment as been long and mutual between Iraq and the smaller, wealthier neighbour it invaded in 1990.
The Kuwaiti official said about eight Kuwaiti trucks were damaged. Al-Watan said several Kuwaiti drivers trying to cross were attacked and the loads of four trucks were stolen as well as a tanker carrying water.
In Basra, drivers were lining up at gas stations yesterday after coalition forces brought in enough fuel to fill 550,000 cars, for five days, the British said.
For two days, residents joined kilometres-long queues for gas as they tried to cope with 50C temperatures and high humidity. Power stations had been running on standby generators.
Fuel arrived yesterday by ship at Az Zubayhr and road tankers were escorted to Basra by a British convoy, officials said. U.S. soldiers escorted a convoy of 25 road tankers from Kuwait, destined for towns and provinces throughout southeast Iraq.
Three soldiers from the U.S. 4th Infantry Division were in stable condition yesterday after guerrillas ambushed their patrol in Shumayt, a day after a homemade bomb killed an U.S. military police officer at an Iraqi police station north of Baghdad.
http://www.thestar.ca/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1060639814794&call_page=TS_World&call_pageid=968332188854&call_pagepath=News/World&pubid=968163964505&StarSource=email
Dit lijkt me toch een nachtmerrie scenario voor Koeweit, miljoenen straatarme Iraqis die op een steenworp afstand wonen van 800,000 steenrijke Koeweiti's. (ps. er wonen 2.1miljoen mensen in koeweit maar 1.3miljoen zijn buitenlandse arbeiders.)