High Crime Rate Areas In Kuwait According To Osac

Although several districts in Kuwait City are known to have high incidences of crime, only a few areas are of sufficient concern that official embassy personnel are asked to exercise particular caution when visiting. The RSO recommends avoiding the following areas, especially during nighttime hours, as they have been identified as high-crime areas: Jleeb Ash Shuyoukh, Hasawi, and Abbasiya, located on the outskirts of Kuwait City International Airport.

The following areas are considered off-limits for official U.S. government personnel who must seek special permission to travel in these areas in order to conduct official duties: Kuwait/Iraq border – north of Mutla’a Ridge, the tank graveyard (near Ali Al Salem base), and the city of Jahra.

Unexploded ordnance (UXO) from the 1991 Gulf War remains present in some desert areas. The U.S. Embassy urges caution if traveling off paved surfaces outside of Kuwait City. UXO has also been discovered in piles of sand used at construction sites, including at Camp Arifjan, the largest U.S. military facility in Kuwait. A contributing factor to the local population’s exposure to UXO is a tradition of desert camping. During the cooler months (October-March), many Kuwaitis head to the desert to camp.

The majority of these campgrounds are very close to the major roadways, but some Kuwaitis travel long distances from built-up areas to camp in relative isolation. Camping in well-used areas mitigates some risk of contact with UXO, but camping in areas far from population centers increases the chances of coming into contact with hazardous items.

Source : OSAC