KUWAIT CITY, Feb 9 (AFP) - The US ambassador to Kuwait hailed the emirate's security crackdown against "terrorists" and said more such measures should be taken, in remarks published Wednesday.
"We applaud the courageous actions of the security forces. They have responded in my view appropriately and aggressively to a threat that was quite clear," Richard LeBaron told Al-Qabas newspaper in an interview.
"We look forward to a long-term, sustained approach to counter-terrorism. That approach includes both police work and intelligence work but it also includes working in a lot of areas, including, for example, eliminating the sources of funds for terrorism," he said.
LeBaron described Islamist militants who fought bloody gunbattles with Kuwaiti police last month as "terrorists" because they plotted attacks against Kuwaitis and Americans, and wanted to change the regime.
"I certainly do call them terrorists. These were people determined to attack both Kuwaiti and American targets, determined to, in fact, change the very nature of the system here.
"So indeed, they are terrorists and should be treated as such," he said.
Four deadly gunfights between Islamist militants and security forces last month left four police officers and eight suspects dead. Two civilians were also killed in the crossfire.
The US envoy also urged Kuwait to exercise more control on charity fund-raising and money transfers, and said recent efforts by the country and other Gulf states to counter terrorism reflect a new determination to take aggressive action against terror.
Kuwait has taken a number of stiff measures to monitor Islamic charities, including a ban on collecting cash donations.
LeBaron also said the US military presence in the emirate was a decision made by the Kuwaiti government with which Washington is discussing "our long-term strategy and the long-term vision for how we interact and how we share the burdens of security in the region."
Some 25,000 US troops are stationed in Kuwait which served as a main launchpad for the March 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq.
02/09/2005 14:54 GMT - AFP