Two Kuwaitis kidnapped on Iraqi desert hunting trip, officials say

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein attends a trilateral meeting with counterparts of Egypt and Jordan, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Cairo, Egypt, August 15, 2023. REUTERS

Security forces are searching for two Kuwaitis who were kidnapped while on a hunting trip in a desert area in Iraq, two security officials said on Monday.

A police colonel confirmed the kidnapping took place on Sunday in a desert area between Anbar and Salahuddin provinces.

However, an Iraqi foreign ministry statement referred only to one Kuwaiti national.

It said Iraq's Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein told his Kuwaiti counterpart Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah the Iraqi government would "determine the fate of the Kuwaiti national". The statement followed a phone call between the two ministers on Monday.

Iraqi security officials said an initial investigation showed that one of the hunters' vehicles was attacked by gunmen and contact had been lost with the two Kuwaitis.

The desert region is known to be a hiding place for Islamic State militant groups that are still active, the two security sources said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the incident. Hunters from wealthy Gulf states often make trips to Iraq's southern and western desert in search of hawks.

One police officer told Reuters on condition of anonymity the Kuwaitis had been in an extensive desert area that is very dangerous because Daesh (Islamic State) is still active there.