Kuwaitis fear being drawn into new war with Iraq.(Chicago Tribune)

Byline: Evan Osnos

FARWANIYA, Kuwait _ Air-raid sirens are wailing, chemical-weapons drills are unfolding, and family escape plans are hatching, as Kuwait anxiously prepares for the prospect of war next door.

Kuwaiti leaders fear that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, if attacked by the United States, could launch a desperate and vengeful assault on his small southern neighbor, with conventional missiles or even chemical or biological weapons. The concern in Kuwait underscores widespread worries, from Israel to Saudi Arabia, that an attack on Iraq could trigger retaliatory strikes on U.S. allies in the Middle East.

"We are very concerned about the safety of the people in this area," said Sheik Ibrahim Duaij Al-Sabah, governor of this busy suburb south of Kuwait City and home to the nation's only major airport. "Saddam Hussein has shown he will use these chemical weapons on his own people, so why not here? The world should worry as well."

The public warnings reflect scars from the 1991 war in the Persian Gulf. Not only did Saddam torch and loot this rich oil emirate, but Kuwait's ruling regime suffered sharp criticism from citizens for failing to warn or protect them.

Many of the nation's top leaders fled to Saudi Arabia in the early hours of the August 1990 invasion, leaving Kuwait's 2 million residents and its tiny army to defend the country. The state was overrun in under a day and endured a brutal seven-month occupation.

This time, civil defense officials are making lavish public displays of readiness, while fretting that citizens themselves are not sufficiently concerned.