Five militants surrendered to Kuwaiti security forces who surrounded their hideout on Saturday in the oil-rich Gulf Arab state which is battling a surge in al Qaeda-linked violence, state media said. State television said security forces continued to search the area in Sulaibiya suburb, some 13 miles northwest of the capital Kuwait City. "Five terrorists holed up in a house in Sulaibiya area have surrendered," the television reported, saying two of the men were Saudi nationals and three were Jordanian. Analysts say the country is in a better position to crush militants because of its small size compared to its much bigger neighbor Saudi Arabia where al Qaeda has staged spectacular attacks against Western and government targets. State news agency KUNA said security forces also raided a camp in the area of Amghara near Sulaibiya. Security sources told Reuters that blasts reported earlier as gunfire were in fact caused by teargas lobbed by police. Initial reports indicated there were no casualties, they added. Kuwait's Energy Minister Sheikh Ahmad al-Fahd al-Sabah said he believed the situation was under control in Sulaibiya. Asked if the raids would continue, the minister told reporters that Kuwait was in a region with a terror problem and "we will be a part of this."
Authorities have boosted security around oil and other vital sites after militants were believed to be planning attacks in an area housing Kuwait's largest refinery and a U.S. military camp. Kuwait is coordinating security issues with Saudi Arabia. Security sources say Kuwaitis linked to militants in Iraq and Saudi Arabia are behind the violence. On Saturday, senior security officials from Kuwait and Bahrain, another U.S. ally, met to boost security coordination and exchange of information between the two Gulf states.