Syrian security forces arrested a group of Kuwaiti citizens on Monday, who tried to infiltrate Iraq through the Syrian border, reports the Kuwaiti daily Al-Qabas.
Initial reports from the investigation of the Kuwaitis indicate they intended to enter Iraq in order to join local Iraqi forces fighting the U.S. army in Fallouja.
Kuwaiti sources told Al-Qabas they know of at least 12 Kuwaitis who operate in the Sunni triangle in Iraq, especially in Fallouja and Ramadi. The sources indicate that the total number of Kuwaitis fighting today in Iraq is about thirty.
Syria, Iraq, and the United States have held talks in the past few weeks on strengthening security in the border region. U.S. commanders and diplomats have said the flow of insurgents across the border represents a major threat. “Syria should not be used as a platform to undermine Iraqi stability,” said Assistant Secretary of State for Middle Eastern Affairs William Burns, following his meeting with Syrian President Bashar Al-Asad on September 11. Other top American officials, including Secretary of State Colin Powell, said Syria will have to show results very quickly, co-operating with the Iraqi security forces.
So far the Syrians seem to be enhancing their efforts to secure the borders. Following Burns’s visit to Damascus, Syria’s Foreign Minister Farouq A-Shara’ said, “Damascus looks positively on the American envoy’s wish to cooperate with regard to Iraq.”