Jihad in Kuwait, where Americans have been welcomed and no doubt the State Department assumes that “moderate” Islam prevails. How is it that Al-Qaeda, or jihadists in general, seem to have little trouble penetrating any Muslim population? “Unrest spills into quiet Kuwait,” from the Christian Science Monitor, with thanks to Eschwapp:
KUWAIT CITY – A series of gunbattles here over the past month between Islamic militants and security forces have left many Kuwaitis wondering whether the violence plaguing neighboring Iraq and Saudi Arabia is about to spill over into their oil-rich Gulf state.
The Kuwaiti police have conducted several raids to round up Islamic militants who were allegedly planning to carry out attacks against Western targets, including American troops based in the country. Eight militants and four policemen have died in the clashes and 18 militants remain in custody. Large amounts of weapons and bombmaking materials have been seized.
With the authorities here admitting that the militants pose a serious threat, Kuwaitis fear they could pay a price for being America’s staunchest ally in the Arab world. Kuwait gave full support to the US-led invasion of Iraq, and the country remains an important logistics hub for the US.
“These clashes are a small drop in the ocean to what is coming. Kuwait is becoming a top priority for Al Qaeda,” says Mohammed Mulaifi, a writer and member of the strict Salafi branch of Sunni Islam who has close contacts with Kuwaiti militants.