Dubai police chief accuses Kuwait of destroying Iraq

The Dubai Chief of Police, Dhahi Khalfan, has accused the Gulf States, and especially Kuwait, of destroying Iraq, saying Kuwait’s unprecedented retaliation against former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait left nearly a million Iraqi orphans.

On his personal Twitter account, Khalfan praised Hussein, saying: “Saddam, son of Iraq, stood in front of the gallows as a man who defeated all his opponents and showed respectable courage.”

Khalfan’s comments often embarrass his Kuwaiti supporters, who have remained largely silent over his interventions in Kuwait’s political affairs.

However, this time Khalfan’s opinion prompted some Kuwaitis to condemn his comments. Former MP Saleh El-Mullah said Khalfan’s comments to his supporters revealed his true intentions. In another Tweet, Shehab Abdul Wahab said Khalfan should have praised Emiratis and all brave warriors who faced Hussein instead of admiring Saddam’s courage. Hamed Al-Khalidi accused Khalfan of acting as a mouthpiece for other sides.

This is Khalfan’s second verbal attack against Kuwait within a month. Previously, he had accused the state of funding the Muslim Brotherhood, leading some liberals to accuse him of McCarthyism, or making accusations of treason without proper regard for evidence.

This time, Khalfan launched his scathing attack against Kuwait and the Gulf States less than 24 hours after the Arab League summit closed in Kuwait.

Some experts believe Khalfan attacked Kuwait for not supporting the UAE during the summit after sharp political differences emerged between the different Gulf and Arab countries.