Unidentified gunmen opened fire Tuesday morning on two Americans on a highway near a US military camp, killing one and wounding the other, in what the U.S. Embassy called a terrorist attack.
The victims were both civilian contractors working for the US military based in Kuwait, said John Moran, spokesman for the US Embassy, AP reported.
Moran said the two Americans, both men, were inside their vehicle on Highway 85 north of Kuwait City near Camp Doha, a large military installation serving as a base for some 17,000 troops based in the Gulf nation.
One man died of multiple gunshot wounds and the other was in critical condition, Moran conveyed. Witnesses reported that police were questioning two Kuwaitis on the scene of the shooting. "We have full confidence that the Kuwaiti authorities will pursue the investigation of this incident vigorously and professionally," Moran said.
According to the Kuwaiti Interior Ministry, the two Americans were in a Land Cruiser and came from the direction of Camp Doha.
The gunmen were secluded in a tree-lined area and apparently walked out into the street and started firing as the Land Cruiser approached, officials said. The gunmen fled. Cartridge cases believed to be from rounds fired from a Kalashnikov rifle or rifles were found at the scene.
"We condemn this terrorist incident, which has tragically cost the life of an innocent American citizen," U.S. Ambassador to Kuwait Richard Jones said in a statement.
A US Marine was killed and a second was wounded Oct. 8 when two Kuwaitis opened fire on a group of troops taking a break from training. The attackers were killed by other Marines. (Albawaba.com)
