Missing Kuwaiti citizen found dead along with a Saudi in Iraq’s desert

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Security forces found the corpses of the missing Kuwaiti citizen along with a Saudi companion in Iraq’s western desert area on Tuesday, according to a statement.

The Gulf nationals, who were initially reported by Reuters to be two Kuwaiti hunters, were found dead close to a burned-down vehicle that was detonated by an “ISIS mine” in the area, according to a statement from the Iraqi military media, known as Security Media Cell.

The Cell refused the nationals were hunters, saying they entered Iraq on tourist visas in late December. 

The Kuwaiti Minister of Foreign Affairs Sabah Al Salim Al Sabah confirmed that one of those found in the desert region is a Kuwaiti national.

Baghdad and Kuwait City will cooperate to repatriate the corpses, according to the security statement.

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 Iraq and its neighboring Gulf countries have been normalized in recent years, following long-standing tensions sparked by Baghdad’s invasion of the neighboring country in 1990.

Hundreds of Gulf tourists visited Iraq since last year to explore the country.