Kuwait rehearses for Iraqi onslaught

Hundreds of Kuwaitis evacuated their offices to the accompaniment of fiery explosions today as the Gulf emirate staged a mock Iraqi attack to prepare for any lashing out from its unpredictable neighbour.

Such drills are becoming increasingly realistic and coincide with the planned deployment of thousands more US troops to the region, giving President George Bush flexibility in invading Iraq if he decides to use force to ensure Saddam Hussein complies with UN disarmament resolutions.

Iraq caught Kuwait by surprise in the 1990 invasion that led to the Gulf War. This time, Kuwait fears Iraq could fire Scud missiles – possibly equipped with chemical warheads – or stage terror attacks against civilian population centres or US bases.

“We must be prepared for anything,” said Abdul-Kareem Al-Sagi, human resources manager for Kuwait’s Mobile Telecommunications Company “Saddam is crazy, he’s out of his mind.”

The company’s twin seven storey headquarters buildings were rocked by the sounds of explosions outside in today’s drill, some of them created by filling pick-up trucks with petrol and plastic explosives and blowing them up, sending up clouds of black smoke.

The blasts initiated the evacuation of 711 employees from the buildings, carried out floor-by-floor with wardens making head counts. Evacuees walked past mock burn-and-blast victims outside, completing their escape within three minutes.

Fire crews, paramedics and bomb squads with dogs turned up shortly afterward. Though the evacuation was smooth, the medical rescue appeared slow, with teams fumbling to assemble stretchers.

“We need to make these drills as real as possible,” said General Mustafa Shaban, head of Kuwait’s civil emergency services. “On the day of an event, people will be frightened. Their reaction needs to be good.”

Iraq fired Scud missiles at Saudi Arabia and Israel during the Gulf War, and Kuwaitis fear he will lash out at their country. The government has ordered two million gas masks for the population, but they have not yet been distributed.