Kuwait Lodges Second Protest with Iraq Over Cross-Border Attacks
Kuwait urges Iraq to deter perpetrators, affirms right to take all necessary measures to protect its security and sovereignty
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — The State of Kuwait's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Monday it has summoned Iraq’s chargé d’affaires in Kuwait for the second time to deliver a formal protest over continued attacks targeting Kuwaiti territory by armed Iraqi factions.
According to a statement published on the ministry’s official account on X, Acting Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Rahim Al-Deehani received Zaid Abbas Shanshool and handed over a memorandum of protest regarding what it described as repeated assaults launched from Iraqi territory.
Al-Deehani stressed that carrying out armed attacks against Kuwait using Iraqi territories constitutes “aggression against the State of Kuwait, a violation of its sovereignty, and a breach of international law and the United Nations Charter.”
He underscored Kuwait’s firm rejection of these “serious violations.”
The Kuwaiti official called on the Iraqi government to take all necessary measures against those responsible, urging decisive action to deter further attacks and prevent their recurrence.
The statement also reaffirmed Kuwait’s “full and inherent right” to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter, emphasizing that the country reserves the right to take all necessary and legitimate measures to counter threats to its security, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.
The latest diplomatic move follows an earlier protest lodged in early March, when Kuwait summoned the same Iraqi diplomat and delivered a formal memorandum after armed Iraqi factions carried out attacks targeting Kuwaiti territory on March 3.
Kuwaiti officials at the time condemned the attacks as violations of sovereignty and urged Baghdad to take “practical and concrete steps” to halt such actions and prevent their recurrence.
Reports indicated that those earlier attacks marked a significant escalation, with some incidents involving drone strikes launched from Iraqi territory, raising alarm in Kuwait over cross-border security threats.
The renewed protest signals mounting frustration in Kuwait over what it perceives as insufficient action by Iraqi authorities to curb armed groups operating within its borders, amid a broader deterioration in regional security.