Kuwaiti police stormed several suspected terror hideouts today, arresting a reputed terror leader and sparking a gun battle that killed five people, including four of his followers, as a government crackdown on Islamic militants intensified.

Long-awaited aid was expected to arrive in southern Iraq today, after allied forces laid siege to Basra following a tank battle victory.

Two Kuwaitis shot at US Marines during war games on an island off the Gulf state today, killing one and wounding another in what the Kuwaiti government called a terrorist act. Fellow Marines shot dead the assailants.