KUWAIT: Kuwait's army has denied reports about an attack on a northern border post. The army's General Staff stressed in a statement early yesterday that the northern borders are stable and secure. The Iraqi military also denied the incident took place. The US Embassy in Kuwait said it was looking into the matter. Three Iraqi security forces had told Reuters an explosion near the Jraischan border crossing between Iraq and Kuwaiti on Monday evening targeted a convoy carrying equipment for US forces.

It was not immediately clear if there were any US troops in the convoy or if anyone had been injured in the explosion, which went off just before 9 pm (1800 GMT). Vehicles are regularly loaded with military equipment at the crossing, the sources said, and the cargo is usually loaded or unloaded before entering or exiting Iraq. Foreign companies are contracted by US forces to provide security in the area, the Iraqi security sources said.

A security source had earlier said that the explosion was caused by an Iraqi Shiite militia targeting a US military base near the crossing by smuggling in an explosive device, and that some staff on the base had been injured. This was later contradicted by other security sources who said a convoy was attacked, not a base. A little known Iraqi Shiite militia group by the name of Ashab al-Kahf claimed responsibility for the attack and published a video showing an explosion at a distance. It said it was able to destroy US military equipment and large parts of the crossing. - Agencies