Kuwaiti army ready to defend borders

Kuwait declared today that its army is ready to defend its borders in case of an aggression from Iraq.

"We are able to defend our borders with courage and fight to the last soldier and we have a reserve force at the ready that can be on the battlefield in 24 hours", said Kuwait's Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Ali Al Mounen.

Asked about the ability of Kuwaiti army to face an attack from a neighboring country, General Al Mounen said it would depend on the size, type and strength of the aggression. But he said "that the situation on the border is now calm and only routine Iraqi movements are taking place". However, "this could of course change any time", he added.

Kuwait aims now at maintaining a level of readiness and alertness in the current circumstances until a real political change occurs in the region.

The latest preparations of the Kuwaiti army come more than a week after Iran staged air raids on Iranian rebel bases on in a "no-fly zone" over Southern Iraq patrolled by the United States and allied planes. Baghdad threatened to retaliate against any further attacks.

The regular Kuwaiti army has 20000 troops including reserve, but Kuwait depends greatly in its national defense on Gulf War coalition partners: USA, Great Britain and France.