Bodies of Kuwaiti and Saudi missing in Iraq have been found

Iraqi authorities on Tuesday found the bodies of a Kuwaiti and a Saudi national resident in Kuwait who had gone missing while on a hunting trip in a desert area of Iraq.

An Iraqi military statement said the bodies were found after their vehicle was struck by an unexploded bomb left from the war against Islamic State militants.

On Monday, Iraqi security sources said they had launched a search operation for two Kuwaitis who were kidnapped in the desert.

A senior security official said the initial investigation suggested that unknown gunmen tried to kidnap the hunters.

The circumstances of the explosion and whether the two were in the hands of kidnappers when it occurred was not clear. The military said it was still investigating the matter.

The initial details received by Iraqi authorities showed that both hunters were Kuwaiti nationals but after further checks with security forces it appeared that one national was Kuwaiti and the other was Saudi, the source said.

Kuwait's foreign ministry also said the bodies of the missing Kuwaiti and his Saudi companion who disappeared in Iraq's western Anbar province had been found. It gave no further details.

The desert region is known to be a hiding place for Islamic State militants who are still active, Iraqi security sources told Reuters.

Kuwaiti foreign minister Sheikh Salem Abdul Al-Jaber Al-Sabah praised the Iraqi authorities for their efforts and said they were in contact to investigate the case further.