Plans Call for Kuwait to Impose Martial Law After Iraqis Leave

Once Iraqi forces are pushed out of the country, the restored Kuwaiti government plans to impose martial law for at least three months and perhaps as long as a year, according to detailed plans drawn up by the U.S. Army to guide American forces assisting Kuwaiti officials.

A copy of the unclassified planning report, which also said that 25% of Kuwait’s civilian population may be dead, injured or suffering from disease, was received by The Times from Pacific News Service, which obtained it from a Pentagon source.

In addition to martial law, the Kuwaiti government plans to retain its pre-invasion curbs on the press, according to the report. The restrictions include a law that prohibits criticizing the country’s ruling emir or quoting him without permission, and a second law that requires newspapers to obtain government licenses to publish.

Palestinian residents of Kuwait, many of whom sided with Iraq, and other foreign nationals are likely to come under immediate suspicion, according to the report. It notes that the authorities in the initial emergency government will issue special identification cards to Kuwaiti citizens and move to expel “undesirables” from the country.

The report observes that the normal Kuwaiti judicial system “will not be immediately operational” and that “provisional arrangements” involving special tribunals run by Kuwaiti security services in cooperation with the U.S. Army will handle tasks ranging from control of looters to the prosecution of war crimes.