Kuwait holds Iraqi fishing boat with crew, document shows

Shafaq News- Basra

An official document revealed on Tuesday that Kuwaiti authorities have detained the Iraqi fishing boat and its five-member crew, one day after the fishermen lost contact near the maritime border.

According to the document, Al-Nasr Cooperative Society for fishing and fish marketing notified the Al-Faw district administration of the incident involving the fishing boat IFB166. The administration later referred the case to the Basra governor’s office to take the necessary measures.

No further details were provided on the reasons behind the detention or the fishermen’s location, while the Iraqi government and Basra’s local authorities have yet to issue a statement on the incident.

On July 6, a security source told Shafaq News that five fishermen from Al-Faw district in southern Basra lost contact after a Kuwaiti Coast Guard patrol opened fire on their boat in Iraqi territorial waters. The Popular Movement Against the Khor Abdullah Agreement, which regulates navigation and security in the shared waterway, called for summoning Kuwait’s ambassador to Baghdad and urged the government to investigate the incident and take diplomatic and legal measures to protect Iraqi citizens.