Kuwaiti Soldiers Suspected of Plot

Security forces have detained several Kuwaiti soldiers suspected of plotting to attack U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf nation, a security source said Monday.

The soldiers, some of whom are high-ranking officers, and several non-Kuwaiti citizens were taken into custody a week ago and are being questioned.

Some men had been released, Army Chief of Staff Yousef Abdel Razzak Mulla told KUNA, the official news agency. Mulla declined to say how many soldiers had been detained and released. U.S. officials were not immediately available for comment.

The United States has warned Americans in Kuwait that militants are preparing attacks in that country, the launchpad for the Iraq war.

After a December attack on a U.S. consulate in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait boosted security around oil and other key installations and major Western embassies.

Kuwait has been cracking down on militants opposed to the presence of U.S. forces, as well as those plotting attacks against foreign troops in Iraq. Twenty Kuwaitis are being tried for plotting to attack U.S.-led forces in Iraq and Kuwait. A Kuwaiti court is trying three Kuwaiti men accused of entering Fallouja, Iraq, to join the insurgency.