Wikipedia

1983–1988 Kuwait terror attacks

(Redirected fromKuwait Airways Flight 221)

The1983–1988 Kuwait terror attackswere various pro-Iranterror attacksduring theIran–Iraq War.25 people were killed and more than 175 people were wounded. Following the attacks, Kuwait's economy significantly suffered.[1]

1983–1988 Kuwait terror attacks
LocationKuwait
Date1983–1988
TargetInfrastructure (government buildings, embassies, airport, oil tankers, coffehouses, etc)
Attack type
Suicide bombings,airplane hijackings, missile attacks
Deaths25
Injured175+
PerpetratorsMultiple

1983 Kuwait bombings

edit

The 1983 Kuwait bombings were attacks on six key installations on 12 December 1983, two months after the1983 Beirut barracks bombing.The 90-minute coordinated attack on two embassies, the country'smain airport,andpetro-chemicalplant was more notable for the damage it was intended to cause than what was actually destroyed. What might have been "the worstterroristepisode of the twentieth century in theMiddle East"killed only six people because of the bombs' faulty rigging.[2]

The perpetrators of the bombing were unknown but were purported to be connected to theIslamic Republic of Iran.The motivation of the bombing is suspected to have been punishment against Kuwait for its military and financial assistance toIraqin theIran–Iraq War.[3]

Bombings

edit

On 12 December 1983, a truck laden with 45 large cylinders of gas connected toplastic explosivesbroke through the front gates of the American Embassy inKuwait Cityand rammed into the embassy's three-story administrative annex, demolishing half the structure. The shock blew out windows and doors in distant homes and shops.

Only five people were initially killed (twoPalestinians,twoKuwaitis,and oneSyrian)[4]in large part because the driver did not hit the more heavily populatedchancellerybuilding and more importantly, only a quarter of the explosives ignited. An Americandiplomattold journalistRobin Wright:"If everything had gone off, this place would have been aparking lot".[5]

Five other explosions were attempted within an hour. An hour later, a car parked outside the French embassy blew up, leaving a massive 30 ft hole in the embassy security wall. No one was killed, and only five people were wounded.

The target intended to get the most powerful explosion was Kuwait's mainoil refineryand waterdesalinationplant, the Shuaiba Petrochemical Plant. 150gas cylinderson a truck carrying 200 cylinders exploded 150 meters from the No. 2 refinery and only a few meters from a highly flammable heap of sulfa-based chemicals. Had that bombing been successful, it would have crippled the oil production of one of the world's major oil exporters and shut down most of the water supply of the nation.[6]

Othercar bombsexploded at the control tower at theKuwait International Airport,the Electricity Control Center, and the living quarters for American employees of theRaytheonCorporation, which was installing a missile system in Kuwait. Two bombs at Raytheon went off, the first intended to bring the residents outside and the second intended to kill. The attempt failed as the residents did not emerge. AnEgyptiantechnician was killed in the control tower bombing,[7]but none of the other bombings resulted in fatalities.

The bombing of the American embassy was an early instance ofsuicide bombingin the Middle East, along with theHezbollah's bombing of theAmerican Embassyand the bombing of the Marine barracks in Lebanon earlier that year in which Hezbollah is suspected to be the orchestrator.[8]

Responsibility

edit

Islamic Jihad OrganizationandIslamic Dawa Partywere reported at the time to be involved in the bombing.[9]Shortly after the blasts, Islamic Jihad called Kuwaiti authorities to take responsibility for the blast. The claim was taken seriously after the callers' boast that there was a "seventh bomb" was verified by the discovery of a car bomb in front of the Immigration Bureau.

Islamic Dawa was connected to the bombing when the remains of a human thumb were found and its thumbprint identified as that of Raad Murtin Ajeel, a 25-year-old IraqiShiamember of Dawa. Ultimately, 21 other defendants were put on trial (17 captured in a nationwide manhunt and 4 tried in absentia). After a six-week trial, six were sentenced to death (three of those were in absentia), seven to life imprisonment, seven to terms between five and fifteen years.[10]One of those convicted by a court in Kuwait in February 2007 was Jamal Jafaar Mohammed, more commonly known by his nom de guerre asAbu Mahdi al-Muhandis,who was a member ofKata'ib Hezbollahand Iraq's parliament and military commander of thePopular Mobilization Forces.[11][12]

Motivation

edit

Analysts believe the bombings were the work of Iran in cooperation with Shia allies from Iraq and Lebanon.[13]Kuwait had given considerable support to Iraq in the 1980–1988Iran–Iraq War.[14]Between 1983 and 1984, Kuwait provided $7 billion in financial assistance and was second to Saudi Arabia in aiding Iraq,[15]Massive destruction and loss of life in Kuwait would also have provided an example to the other oil-rich, population-poor, Arab monarchies of the Persian Gulf, also helping Iraq against its larger, non-Arab, anti-monarchist revolutionary Islamic neighbor. In 1985, theArab States of the Persian Gulfprovided Iraq with financial contributions, totaling in the range of $40 to 50 billion.[16]

Americans and the French are thought to have been targets in Kuwait because of their assistance to Iraq and lack of help to Iran. America had halted all shipments of arms to Iran, and extended $2 billion in trade credit to Iraq in "Operation Staunch"in 1983.[17]

Response

edit

The blasts were said to have taken theKuwaiti government"completely by surprise" and left it dumbfounded, terrified and shaken to their core that such a well-organized terrorist operation could have taken place under their noses.[18][19]According to theMonday Morninggazette, the hitherto relaxed nation was transformed into a "police state," with roundups offoreign workers,numerous roadblocks, identity checks, and guardsmen under orders to "shoot whoever refused to stop or be searched."[20]

Pressure on Kuwait to free the bombers

edit

Of the "Kuwait 17", 12 wereIraqisin al-Dawa,[21]and 3 wereLebanese.One wasMustafa Badreddine,who was sentenced to death. He was also a cousin and brother-in-law of one ofHezbollah's senior officers,Imad Mugniyah.[22] "Analysts say,... there is little doubt Mugniyeh and Al Din helped plan December 1983 bombings in Kuwait against the U.S. and French embassies there...."[21][23]

Both the organization of Hezbollah and theIslamic Republic of Iranand the location of Dawa's headquarters helped free their fellow Shia revolutionaries in Kuwait.

In Lebanon, Western hostages, including American Frank Regier andFrenchmanChristian Joubert, were held by Shia radicals demanding the release of the al-Dawa terrorists as the price of the hostages' release. On 27 March 1984, following the conviction of the al-Da'wa defendants, the hostage takers threatened to kill their hostages if the Kuwaiti government carried through with the planned execution of the al-Dawa prisoners.[24]A month later, American Benjamin Weir was kidnapped by actors demanding the same.Anglicanhostage negotiatorTerry Waiteappealed to theEmir of Kuwaitand tried to obtain avisato come to Kuwait. His failure to make progress in freeing the convicted terrorists is thought to be the reason that he himself was kidnapped and spent five years as a hostage.[25]

Although those sentenced to death were to be hanged within 30 days, the Emir of Kuwait did not sign their death sentence.[26]The executions were delayed for years[27]until the men escaped.

Iran

edit

Chief Kuwaiti government spokesman Abdel Aziz Hussein called the bombings "the first concentrated Iranian operation toexport the revolutionand destabilize thePersian Gulfafter Iran failed to infiltrate the Iraqi [war] front. "[28]Kuwait was threatened with further attacks if the defendants were not released,[29]with Tehran Radio regularly broadcasting warnings from Dawa that Kuwait would face "serious consequences" if the "heroes" standing trial were harmed.[10]

Hezbollah

edit

Over the next several years,Hezbollahperpetrated a string ofkidnappingsand bombings with the goal of forcing the Kuwaiti government to free the al-Dawa prisoners. HostageTerry Andersonwas told that he and the other hostages kidnapped inBeiruthad been abducted "to gain the freedom of their seventeen comrades in Kuwait."[26]

The Kuwait 17 then played a role in theIran-Contrascandal: the principals of Iran-Contra offered to sway Kuwait to release the Kuwait 17 as one of several incentives to free American hostages in Lebanon. However, whenU.S. PresidentRonald Reaganlearned of this offer, he allegedly responded "like he had been kicked in the belly."[30]

1984 oil tanker attacks

edit

Because Iraq had become landlocked during the course of the Iran-Iraq War, they had to rely on Kuwait to transport their oil. In 1984, Iran started attacking Kuwaiti tankers carrying Iraqi oil from Kuwait.[31]Iran also began attacking Kuwaiti ships (unrelated to Iraq).[31]Iranian speedboat attacks on Kuwaiti shipping eventually led Kuwait to formally petition foreign powers on 1 November 1986 to protect its shipping.

1985 attempted assassinations

edit

Ahmed Al-Jarallah

edit

On April 23, 1985,Ahmed Al-Jarallahwas subjected to an assassination attempt when a gunman opened fire on him outside his offices. He was shot six times, and was rushed to the nearby Al-Razi Hospital by his driver, seriously injured. An organization under the name Arab Revolutionary Brigades claimed responsibility. It was suspected that Palestinian militant groupAbu Nidal Organization(ANO) was behind the assassination attempt. Leaked US diplomatic cables describe observers connecting this assassination attempt to some of Al-Jarallah's political views.[32][33][34][35]

Emir Jaber Al-Ahmad

edit

By May 1985, Islamic Jihad had accumulated six hostages in Lebanon, four Americans and two French, and on 16 May, it released photos of them promising a "horrible disaster" if the jailed terrorists in Kuwait were not released.[36]On 25 May 1985, a suicide car bomber attacked the motorcade of Kuwaiti rulerJaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah,killing two bodyguards and a passerby, wounding Jaber. Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility and again demanded the terrorists' release.[37]

1985 Kuwait City bombings

edit
Main article:1985 Kuwait City bombings

On 11 July 1985, two bombs exploded in two cafés inKuwait City,Kuwait, killing 11 people and wounding 89 others.[38][39][40]

1986 oil installation attack

edit

In 1986, one year after an attack on Emir Jaber's motorcade,[41]there was an attack on an oil installation, which almost caused the shutdown of Kuwait's oil industry.[42]

1987 Kuwait City bombings

edit

In January 1987, a bomb exploded in a shopping district on the eve of the Organization of Islamic Conference meeting.[43]In July 1987, car bombs exploded in a fashionable shopping district, killing two people and blowing the facades off several stores.[43]

1987 missile attacks

edit

In October 1987, Kuwait's oil terminal was hit by anIranian Silkworm,which was observed to have originated from the Faw peninsula. The attack prompted Kuwait to deploy aHawk missilebattery onFailaka Islandto protect the terminal.[44]In December 1987, another Iranian Silkworm was fired at the terminal, but it struck a decoy barge instead.[45]Prior to these attacks the missile's range was thought to be less than 80 kilometres (50 mi), but these attacks proved that the range exceeded 100 kilometres (62 mi) withKuwaiti militaryobservers seeing that the missiles originated from the area and tracking them on radar along with US satellite imagery of the launch sites.[46]

Aircraft hijackings (1984–1988)

edit

Kuwait Airways Flight 221

edit

On 3 December 1984, aKuwait Airwaysflight fromKuwait CitytoKarachi,Pakistanwas hijacked by four LebaneseShi'ahijackers and diverted toTehran.The hijackers demand was the release of the Kuwait 17, which was not met. During the course of the standoff women, children andMuslimswere released and two American officials from theUS Agency for International Development,Charles HegnaandWilliam Stanford,were shot dead and dumped on the tarmac. The few dozen passengers left on board, particularly Americans were threatened and tortured. "Every five minutes there was a frightening incident. There was no letup at all,"Britishflight engineer Neil Beeston told theBBC.[47]Paradoxically, the hijackers released a statement, claiming, "We do not have any enmity toward anyone and we do not intend to deny the freedom of anyone or to frighten anyone...." On the sixth day of the drama, Iranian security forces stormed the plane and released the remaining hostages. Authorities said they would be brought to trial, but the hijackers were released and allowed to leave the country. Some passengers and officials suggested complicity by Iran in the hijacking and that the hostage rescue had been staged. One Kuwaiti and two Pakistani passengers claimed that the hijackers received additional weapons and equipment once the plane had landed, including handcuffs and nylon ropes used to tie passengers to their seats.[48]One American official wondered if the surrender was not preplanned: "You do not invite cleaners aboard an airplane after you have planted explosives, promised to blow up the plane, and read your last will and testament."[49]

TheUS State Departmentannounced a $250,000 reward for information leading to the arrests of those involved in the hijacking but made no military response. Later press reports linked Hezbollah'sImad Mughniyahto the hijackings.[22]

TWA Flight 847

edit

On 14 June 1985,TWA Flight 847was hijacked en route fromAthenstoRome.One of the demands of the hijackers was the release of the 17 prisoners held in Kuwait.

Kuwait Airways Flight 422

edit

On 5 April 1988,Kuwait Airways Flight 422was hijacked fromBangkokto Kuwait with 111 passengers and crew aboard, including three members of theKuwaiti Royal Family.Six or seven Lebanese men[50](includingHassan Izz-Al-Din,a veteran of the TWA 847 hijacking[51]) armed with guns and hand grenades forced the pilot to land inMashhad,Iran,and demanded the release of 17Shiite Muslimsguerrillas held in Kuwait. Lasting 16 days and traveling 3,200 mi from Mashhad in northeastern Iran toLarnaca,Cyprus,and finally toAlgiers,it is the longest skyjacking to date. Two passengers, Abdullah Khalidi, 25, and Khalid Ayoub Bandar, 20, both Kuwaitis, were shot dead by the hijackers and dumped on the tarmac in Cyprus.[52]Kuwait did not release the 17 prisoners, and the hijackers were allowed to leave Algiers.

Aftermath

edit

Eventually, the "Kuwait 17" prisoners gained freedom, reportedly during theIraqi invasion of Kuwait,when 1,300 prisoners escaped from Kuwait's Saidia central prison. The 15 al-Da'wa prisoners were taken into custody and "released to Iran" by Iraqi officials.[53]

Al-Dawa has insisted that the attacks in Kuwait were perpetrated by agents "hijacked" by Iran.[54]In February 2007, journalists reported that Jamal Jaafar Muhammad, who was elected to the Iraqi parliament in 2005 as part of theSCIRI/Badr faction of theUnited Iraqi Alliance(UIA), was also sentenced to death in Kuwait for planning the al-Dawa bombings.[55]

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^Bansal, Narottam P.; Singh, Jitendra P.; Ko, Song; Castro, Ricardo; Pickrell, Gary; Manjooran, Navin Jose; Nair, Mani; Singh, Gurpreet, eds. (1 July 2013).Processing and Properties of Advanced Ceramics and Composites.Vol. 240. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. p. 205.ISBN978-1-118-74411-6.
  2. ^Wright, Robin(2001).Sacred Rage: The Wrath of Militant Islam.Simon and Schuster. p.112.ISBN9780743233422.Retrieved23 October2010.sacred rage.
  3. ^Ranstorp,Hizb'allah in Lebanon(1997), p. 117
  4. ^Associated Pressarticle, 30 January 1984
  5. ^Wright, Robin (4 December 2001).Sacred Rage.Simon and Schuster. p. 112.ISBN9780743233422.
  6. ^Wright(4 December 2001).Sacred Rage.Simon and Schuster. p. 113.ISBN9780743233422.
  7. ^Incident profile
  8. ^Chronology of terrorismagainst Americans, 1979–1988
  9. ^The Lebanese Dawa party is thought to have been absorbed into the "umbrella" -like Hezbollah movement in the early 1980, (Wright,Sacred Rage,(2001), p.95) and Islamic Jihad is thought to have been anom de guerreof Hezbollah. (Ranstorp,Hizb'allah(1997), p.63)
  10. ^abWright(4 December 2001).Sacred Rage.Simon and Schuster. p. 125.ISBN9780743233422.
  11. ^Glanz, James; Santora, Marc; Fathi, Nazila; Mazzetti, Mark; Kiffner, John (7 February 2007)."Iraqi Lawmaker Was Convicted in 1983 Bombings in Kuwait That Killed 5 Americans".The New York Times.p. 8.Retrieved6 March2013.
  12. ^Weiss, Michael;Pregent, Michael (28 March 2015)."The U.S. Is Providing Air Cover for Ethnic Cleansing in Iraq".Foreign Policy.Retrieved26 May2017.
  13. ^Ranstorp,Hizb'allah in Lebanon(1997), p.91, 117
  14. ^Shireen T. Hunter,Iran and the World: Continuity in a Revolutionary Decade,(Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1990), p.117
  15. ^Bahman Baktiari, "Revolutionary Iran's Persian Gulf Policy: the Quest for Regional Supremacy", inIran and the Arab World,Hooshang Amirahmadi and Nader Entessar, Macmillan, (1993), p.77
  16. ^"Iran and Iraq: the Next Five Years" (The Economist Intelligence Unit(EIU), 1987), p.20.
  17. ^Anthony H. Cordesman,The Iran–Iraq War and Western Security, 1984–1987: Strategic Implications and Policy Options,Janes Publishing Company, 1987, p.79
  18. ^Wright(4 December 2001).Sacred Rage.Simon and Schuster. p. 113.ISBN9780743233422.
  19. ^Jaber, Hala.Hezbollah: born with a vengeance,New York: Columbia University Press, c1997, p.127-129
  20. ^Monday Morning Magazine,19 December 1983
  21. ^ab"Terrorist Attacks On Americans, 1979–1988 – Target America".Frontline.PBS.Retrieved21 April2015.
  22. ^Another source, Ranstorp, Magnus,Hizb'allah in Lebanon,1997, p.91, lists another name, Elias Fouad Saab, as that of the brother-in-law and cousin to Imad Mughniya.
  23. ^Ranstorp,Hizb'allah in Lebanon,(1997), p.92
  24. ^Ranstorp,Hizb'allah in Lebanon,(1997), p.99
  25. ^abHezbollah: Born with a vengeancebyHala Jaber,p.127-129
  26. ^Wright(4 December 2001).Sacred Rage.Simon and Schuster. p. 133.ISBN9780743233422.
  27. ^New York Times,12 December 1983
  28. ^Reuters,9 February 1984
  29. ^Excerpts from the Walsh ReportArchived13 July 2007 at theWayback Machineon theIran-Contraaffair.
  30. ^abKarsh, Efraim(2002).The Iran–Iraq War: 1980–1988.Osprey Publishing.pp. 1–8, 12–16, 19–82.ISBN978-1-84176-371-2.
  31. ^Seale, Patrick. Abu Nidal: a gun for hire. Random House, 1992. p. 130
  32. ^CIA Terrorism Review (U). Directorate of Intelligence. 5/6/1985. p.33. Declassified document.
  33. ^Najeeb Al-Wagayan, Sabah al-Shemmari. Major Political Crimes in Kuwait. 1997. p. 203
  34. ^Melman, Yossi. The master terrorist: the true story of Abu-Nidal. p. 206. Adama Books, 1986
  35. ^UPI, 16 May 1985
  36. ^The New York Times26 May 1985
  37. ^Rubin, Barry; Rubin, Judith Colp (2015).Chronologies of Modern Terrorism.Routledge. p. 199.ISBN9781317474654.
  38. ^Stohl, Michael (2020).The Politics of Terrorism, Third Edition.CRC. p. 225.ISBN9781000147049.
  39. ^"BOMBS WRECK 2 CAFES IN KUWAIT, KILLING 9 AND WOUNDING 56".Orlando Sentinel.12 July 1985.
  40. ^"Emir of Kuwait's motorcade bombed on highway".Kentucky New Era.AP. 24 May 1984.Retrieved24 October2014.
  41. ^Zahlan, Rosemarie Said.Making of the Modern Persian Gulf States: Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman.London: Unwin Hyman, 1989. Print. p. 44
  42. ^ab"Car Bomb Kills 2 in Kuwait".Associated Press News.15 July 1987. Archived fromthe originalon 7 March 2021.
  43. ^"The Gulf Punch, Counterpunch".Time.
  44. ^"Iranian Silkworm strikes decoy barge"; Daniel J. Silva.St. Petersburg Times.St. Petersburg, Fla.: December 8, 1987. p. 14.A.
  45. ^Counter-memorial and Counter-claim submitted by the United States of AmericaArchived2014-03-31 at theWayback Machine.June 23, 1997.
  46. ^BBC World Service 24 Dec. 1984
  47. ^The New York Times,23 December 1984
  48. ^Time,23 December 1984
  49. ^"1988: Hijackers free 25 hostages."BBC.Retrieved on 4 March 2009.
  50. ^Ranstorp,Hizb'allah in Lebanon,(1997), p.95
  51. ^Greenwald, John, Sam Allis, and David S. Jackson. "Terrorism Nightmare on Flight 422."TIME.Monday 25 April 1988. Retrieved on 4 March 2009.
  52. ^Ranstorp,Hizb'allah,(1997), p. 105
  53. ^Dossier: Al-Daawa (June 2003)Archived15 July 2003 at theWayback Machine
  54. ^"NOLA: The Wire".Archived fromthe originalon 23 February 2008.Retrieved21 April2015.

Bibliography

edit
  • Jaber, Hala.Hezbollah: born with a vengeance,New York: Columbia University Press, c1997
  • Ranstorp, Magnus,Hizb'allah in Lebanon: The Politics of the Western Hostage Crisis,New York, St. Martins Press, 1997
  • Wright, Robin,Sacred Rage: the wrath of militant Isam,Simon and Schuster, 2001
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1983–1988_Kuwait_terror_attacks&oldid=1248687409#Kuwait_Airways_Flight_221"