Word: kuwaiti
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...ugly episode illustrated how terrorism so easily can feed on itself: the hijackers' demand was for the release of 17 fellow terrorists held in Kuwaiti jails. As proof that they were deadly serious, the men killed one American before the answer came; once their ultimatum was rejected, they killed another American. The suspicion still lingers that Iran colluded in the crime or at least did not act swiftly enough...
...plane had been airborne no more than 15 minutes when the men took control of the aircraft and ordered the pilot to turn the Airbus toward Iran. One Kuwaiti was reportedly shot and wounded in the leg during the brief scuffle. Tehran has gained a reputation as a haven for air pirates ever since three terrorists diverted...
After temporarily breaking off all radio contact on Friday, the terrorists called the control tower and demanded that Iranian officials broadcast a statement over the Arabic service of the Voice of the Islamic Revolution. Iran willingly complied. The hijackers called for the release from Kuwaiti prisons of their "innocent brothers," who they claimed had been tortured by "the joint butchering machine" of Kuwait, the U.S. and France. They admitted murdering two Americans and vowed to kill a third, whom they identified as "Charles Kipper," along with three Kuwaiti diplomats if their demands were not met. The American and Kuwaiti hostages...
Given the cold-blooded zealotry of the hijackers, there appeared to be no easy way out of the standoff at Mehrabad. A negotiated settlement was out of the question. Staunchly backed by Washington, Kuwaiti officials refused even to consider the terrorists' demands. Instead, they concentrated their diplomatic efforts on prodding Iran to take the necessary action. Algeria and Syria were enlisted as go-betweens, and the six states of the Gulf Cooperative Council bombarded Tehran with messages urging the Khomeini regime to make sure, as Tariq Almoayed, Bahrain's Minister of Information, put it, that "those who have...
...Iran's options also appeared to be limited. Given the Khomeini regime's past expressions of support for anti-American terrorists in the Middle East, Iran was not likely to besmirch its image by staging a daring raid to rescue American and Kuwaiti hostages. Even if Tehran had the political will to challenge the militants, it probably lacked the military know-how to carry off such a risky mission without endangering the lives of all the hostages on board. And without the direct cooperation of Iranian officials, no outside power was likely to intervene to end the deadlock...