Kuwait: We Have Prevented Three Attacks by the 'Islamic State'

Kuwait has stated that it has thwarted three planned attacks by the 'Islamic State', including an attack on a Shia mosque in the country. On July 4, the Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior released a photo of a woman and five men, stating that a group related to this matter has been arrested, one of whom is Kuwaiti. In a statement from the Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior, published by the official news agency, it was mentioned that the country's security forces conducted three operations, both inside and outside Kuwait, to neutralize the planned attacks. It was reported that in addition to the Shia mosque, another target was the Ministry of Interior building. According to the official Kuwaiti news agency, the attacks were planned for the end of Ramadan and the days of Eid. On Sunday, the Kuwait National Petroleum Company also announced that it would increase security measures in the country's oil industries. The report of the arrest of a group of Islamic State members and their intention to carry out attacks in Kuwait comes just hours after widespread and deadly attacks in Baghdad. In suicide bombings in the Karada neighborhood and elsewhere in the Iraqi capital, at least 120 people were killed and dozens more injured. The group known as the Islamic State has claimed responsibility for these attacks. In recent days, following attacks by Iraqi security forces, the group was forced to leave the city of Fallujah. Currently, Iraqi security forces are preparing to retake Mosul, Iraq's third-largest city, from this group. Kuwait was the scene of unprecedented attacks in terms of scale and number of victims a year ago; during a suicide attack on one of the Shia mosques in the country, 27 people were killed, including two Iranians. The perpetrator of that attack was a Saudi citizen, and the group known as the Islamic State claimed responsibility for it. Kuwait, neighboring Iraq and Saudi Arabia, is a regional ally of the United States and part of the Saudi-led coalition conducting attacks against ISIS and al-Qaeda in Egypt, Iraq, Libya, Syria, and Afghanistan. The exact number of Shia in Kuwait is unclear, but Reuters reports that they make up between 15 to 30 percent of the population.