Iraq formally accepted a UN-demarcated border line in 1994 after the first Gulf War — when Iraqi strongman Saddam sent his troops into Kuwait in 1990 and was forced out by a US-led coalition.
But many Iraqis in the area remain opposed to it, saying the line robbed them of property and territory.
Iraqi police sources said the protesting crowd hurled stones at Iraqi security forces in the border town of Um Qasr on Monday, prompting the security forces to fire in the air to disperse them. The unrest was triggered by border signs maintenance work nearby, they said.
Kuwaiti border guards, hearing the gunshots and believing they were being targeted, opened fire at Iraqi security forces in response, Kuwaiti media reported. There were no reports of casualties on either side.
Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry undersecretary, Khalid Al Jarallah, said his country has submitted a memorandum to the United Nations and to Iraq over the incident, according to Kuwait’s state news agency KUNA.
“We have issued a statement expressing our dismay over the irresponsible act,” he said. “It is an act that runs counter to the nature of brotherly relations between Kuwait and Iraq.” Kuwait pulled its border guards out of the area after the incident “to calm the situation”, Kuwaiti newspaper Al Rai reported on its website.
