Twenty-one military personnel are ‘granted’ exceptional promotions
Coast Guards foil Iraqi cruiser attempt
KUWAIT CITY, May 27: The Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Khalid Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah has granted exceptional promotions to 21 military personnel for thwarting the attempt by an Iraqi cruiser to steal and hijack a patrol of the Kuwaiti Navy, reports Al-Rai daily.
The Interior Ministry announced last week that the Coast Guard forces thwarted the attempt of an Iraqi cruiser carrying four people who tried to violate Kuwait’s territorial waters and control the Kuwait Navy patrol under the threat of weapons as a result of which one security officer suffered minor injuries.
Security sources told the daily the incident happened on Thursday night, May 18 and that the Coast Guard received a distress call from the security of the Iraqi maritime border patrol that an idle Iraqi boat with a group of fishermen were in Kuwait’s territorial waters.
The Kuwaiti side informed its Iraqi counterpart of the readiness of the Kuwaiti maritime security to help the boat and deliver it near the border between the two countries to prevent any violation or breach of international borders.
The sources added, the Kuwaiti naval patrol led by Lieutenant Misha’al AlFoudari and one military man headed to the site of idle boat to rescue it.
The Iraqi boat, which was floating on sea due to mechanical fault and because it had run out of fuel, as had been claimed, during questioning one of those on board claimed he was sick and fell unconscious.
Al-Foudari immediately contacted the operation room and asked for help to move the unconscious Iraqi for treatment on the Ouha Island.
When they revived, the Kuwaiti forces informed the operations room.
During the transfer of the Iraqi to the Kuwaiti patrol, one of the Iraqis hit the lieutenant and the other military man with sharp objects causing fractures and bruises and loss of consciousness.
The Iraqis then attempted to use the Kuwaiti patrol for few minutes before returning to the Iraqi boat site where they left Al-Foudari and his colleague in the boat and left them.
After Al-Foudari regained consciousness he was able to inform the operations room using his phone.
The sources added a naval patrol led by Major Abdullah Saud Al-Halabi with support of another patrol led by Fahd Bassam Al-Mutawa intercepted the kidnappers, and wounded one of them after a shootout, before arresting them.