KUWAIT CITY, 20 March 2003 — The streets of Kuwait were virtually empty last night. But at shopping centers and gas stations, locals were stocking up on last minute supplies in preparation for what everyone took for granted was an imminent attack on Iraq. The residents of Kuwait City had to brave a sand storm which reduced visibility to just a few meters in some places.
In an eerie scene presaging what may be events to come, many people donned surgical and construction face masks to protect themselves from the sand.
Meanwhile, at Al-Saleh Police and Military Supply, gas masks were almost sold out this morning.
“The rush of people over the past day and a half to buy gas masks has reduced our stock to just a mere ten masks. We have sold over 300 in the past two days, mainly to journalists and expatriates,” said salesman Iqbal Mirza.
At Sultan Supermarket, a grocery manager told Arab News: “People have been rushing in today and stocking up on canned goods and water. Other items that are being bought in large quantities include batteries, powdered milk and flashlights. People are definitely getting prepared.”
Kuwaiti security services were also on a heightened state of alert. Military batteries of truck mounted machine guns were loaded with .50 caliber shells and the machine gun protective covering removed. Road blocks and check points, normally set up at night, were already set up and in use in the early day light hours.
The bomb squad arrived in full force to Sharq Mall early yesterday morning to investigate a report that there was a bomb on the premises. Four vans and a dozen police cars raced to the scene and sealed all the entrances, an hour before the mall was scheduled to open. A thorough search of the grounds revealed no devices, and the mall opened for business as usual.
Despite all these precautionary measures and heightened state of alert, some Kuwaitis — old enough to remember the Iraqi invasion — went on with their daily life confident in the abilities of the American forces to provide protection. Some people took out their boats or rented jet-skis and cruised the shore just yards off the beach and Arabian Gulf Street. It was the older generation of Kuwaitis that were visible at the gas stations, shopping centers and bakeries.
But not all the young are panicking. “We’ve got pretty used to living with the Iraqi threat over the past few years,” Hala, 20, a university student told Arab News over lunch at a fast food restaurant with several friends.
“We’re looking forward to the removal of Saddam. I was here when Iraq invaded and I remember it all clearly. During that time we were scared, but now, under the protection of the Americans, we have no reason to worry.”
“There are still Kuwaitis held in Iraq from the days of Desert Storm, we are hoping they will be liberated and will return home. A war against Saddam is good for Kuwait,” fellow student Mona, 21, added.
At Al-Saleh Police and Military Supply, a salesman told Arab News that sales of gas masks and protective suits had increased tenfold the day before.
“All the journalists here for the war have been scrambling to buy gas masks and protective clothing,” he said. “But I haven’t seen a single Kuwaiti here buying one today.”
As night fell on the streets of Kuwait, some young men were setting off fireworks and alarming journalists at the New Park Hotel just meters away. Asking not to be identified (fireworks are illegal), a young Kuwaiti man said: “We are celebrating because finally Saddam will be gone.”
Expatriates however have mixed feelings. “I’m worried,” said Sana’a Sameh, a secretary at the New Park Hotel. “I saw my doctor this morning and he asked me if anything had happened at home in Egypt that was upsetting me because my blood pressure had gone up. I told him I was really stressed about the situation here in Kuwait.”
At Kuwait airport, hundreds of expatriates gathered to leave Kuwait, taking any available outbound flights.
As he waited for the airport shuttle service, Fathi Abdel Rahim, an Egyptian employee of Kuwait Telecom, told Arab News: “I’m scheduled to take my vacation in six weeks, but I decided now is a good time to go.”
