Country Reports on Terrorism 2022: Kuwait

Kuwait

Overview:  Kuwait is an active participant in international fora and regularly participates in counterterrorism (CT) training.  It is a co-lead on the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS’s Foreign Terrorist Fighters Working Group and hosted the group’s May meeting.  Kuwait also hosted Terrorist Financing Targeting Center meetings in September.  Kuwait is scheduled to complete its FATF mutual evaluation on the implementation of its Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism regime in 2023.

2022 Terrorist Incidents:  There were no terrorist incidents reported in Kuwait in 2022.

Legislation, Law Enforcement and Border Security:  There were no changes to Kuwait’s CT legal framework.  Government resignations and continued political gridlock between the government and the elected National Assembly often prevented the passage of legislation more broadly in any field.

Countering the Financing of Terrorism:  Kuwait is a member of the Middle East and North Africa Financial Action Task Force, and its FIU, the Kuwait Financial Intelligence Unit, is a member of the Egmont Group.  Kuwait is also a member of the regional Terrorist Financing Targeting Center (TFTC).

In collaboration with other TFTC member states, Kuwait sanctioned 16 individuals, entities, and groups affiliated with a variety of regional terrorist organizations, including IRGC-QF, ISIS, and Boko Haram in June.

Countering Violent Extremism:  The Ministry of Information runs TV and radio programming aimed at audiences believed to be at higher risk of radicalization to violence.  The Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs launched a five-year strategic plan to promote moderation and confront extremism.  That ministry operates the Kuwait Moderation Center, which sponsors programs designed to promote religious tolerance.  The Ministry of Foreign Affairs sponsored an outreach program to a private high school to warn youth against engaging in acts that could be construed as support for terrorism.

International and Regional Cooperation:  A Kuwaiti national has held the position of Secretary General of the GCC since 2020.  The country is a member of the Governing Board of Administrators of the International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law.  Kuwait continued to offer itself as mediator in several regional disputes, including after several GCC countries temporarily withdrew their ambassadors from Lebanon.  Additionally, Kuwait hosts the headquarters for the Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR).

Kuwait is a member of the following international organizations and entities engaged in CT cooperation:

• UN
• Arab League
• GCC
• International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law
• Organization of Islamic Cooperation
• Islamic Military Counterterrorism Coalition
• CJTF-OIR
• Terrorist Financing Targeting Center