Gunmen Ambush U.S. Soldiers in Kuwait
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: First to Kuwait, gunmen there ambushed two U.S. soldiers this morning on a highway, seriously injuring them both. Kevin Sites joins us now live by videophone from Kuwait City with the very latest. Good morning -- Kevin.</s>KEVIN SITES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Paula. The U.S. military confirms that at 10:30 this morning, Thursday morning, two U.S. soldiers were ambushed -- one was shot in the face, the other in the shoulder -- apparently by a lone assailant. Now, that's what the U.S. was telling us. We just talked to Kuwaiti officials. Now, they're saying there may be more than one assailant, possibly two assailants that were in a car. Those soldiers had it together enough that they were actually able to drive themselves from that incident to Arifjan. They had been driving from Camp Doha, which is the U.S. military base here, to the town of Arifjan about 40 miles south of Kuwait City. The got it together, drove to that location and were immediately airlifted to the military hospital here in Kuwait City. Apparently, those injuries they sustained although serious, are not life threatening at this point, and the attacker escaped. Both Kuwaiti officials and U.S. officials are investigating the incident at this point.</s>ZAHN: Kevin, are they saying anything about who they think these attackers are?</s>SITES: Well, they're uncertain. Obviously, Kuwaiti officials are embarrassed. They have a good relationship with the U.S. This is the fifth in a string of incidents that have happened here, the most serious on October 8, when a U.S. Marine was killed and another seriously wounded in a shooting incident on Failaka Island. That's an island off the coast of Kuwait. This incident is also disturbing. We received some information that the actual soldiers driving were not wearing uniforms and were actually in a civilian vehicle. And so, they weren't necessarily auspicious in their dress, so it's uncertain why they were targeted at this point. There are a lot of details that we have to find out yet, and we'll be looking at them all day long.</s>ZAHN: But, of course, I guess the one simple fact that can't be ignored is we've seen increasing tension as the prospect of war continues to be debated.</s>SITES: That's right. Currently, the U.S. forces, there's about 8,000 to 9,000 troops, by some estimates, 10,000 by others, actually operating in the desert northwest of here in Operation Desert Spring. They've been practicing firing their 155-millimieter Howitzers, using armored personnel vehicles, actually doing what they call hot refueling in the desert. They could be a defensive posture, as the official statement goes here, or they could be an offensive force ready for action if war with Iraq breaks out -- Paula.</s>ZAHN: Kevin Sites, thanks for the update -- appreciate it very much. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.