Iraq vows to determine fate of two missing Kuwaitis

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The Iraqi minister of foreign affairs in a phone call with his Kuwaiti counterpart vowed to ramp up efforts to determine the fate of missing Kuwaiti hunters who are believed to have gone missing in the desert area between Anbar and Saladin.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Fuad Hussein on Monday held a phone call with the Kuwaiti Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, according to the Iraqi ministry.

Minister Hussein “stressed the Iraqi government's keenness to know the fate of the Kuwaiti citizen,” according to the statement.

Reuters on Monday reported that two Kuwaiti citizens have been kidnapped after they were hunting in the desert area, known to be a hotbed for the Islamic State remnants, according to the media’s sources. The Iraqi ministry only mentioned a “Kuwaiti national” that has gone missing.

“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,” according to Reuters.

Hunters from the wealthy Gulf States visit Iraqi deserts in search of hawks.

In 2015, 28 Qatari hunters, including members of the ruling family, were taken hostage in the desert area of Muthana governorate by the Iranian-backed militias. Following numerous backdoor negations and hefty ransom, the abductees were released in 2017.

The diplomatic relations between Kuwait and Iraq have been normalized in recent years, following long-standing tensions sparked by Baghdad’s invasion of the neighboring country in 1990.