Kuwait Times

Published Date: July 17, 2008

KUWAIT: A senior official in an Iraqi anti-Al Qaeda group has stated that there are currently 25 Kuwaitis fighting with the proscribed organization in Diyala Province alone.

Abu Islam Al-Iraqi, field leader of the Iraqi Popular Committee Against Al Qaeda in Diyala, urged Kuwaiti authorities to advise local imams to focus on showing the dangers of Al Qaeda in their Friday prayers. He said that Al Qaeda, which still has a strong presence in Diyala, has been manipulating credulous young Kuwaitis, telling them they will go to heaven if they carry out suicide bombings.

Al-Iraqi said that most bomb attacks are executed by non-Iraqi citizens such as Saudis, Kuwaitis, Yemenis and Syrians, with Al Qaeda preparing forged civil IDs for Kuwaitis wanting to carry out bombings so that they can enter Iraq via Syria.

In a related story, a security source revealed that an international network has been buying cars in Kuwait before smuggling them to other nations to be used in carrying out bomb attacks. The source indicated that many cars have been taken outside the country never to return. The cars are sold to armed groups in Iraq which use them for bombing operations, with most leaving via the Nuwaiseeb border checkpoint as a diversionary tactic to draw suspicion away from them before diverting their course after reac
hing Saudi Arabia.