They said the Kuwaitis were being moved there for use as human shields against an attack and to prevent them from aiding coalition forces should they enter the Kuwaiti capital.

Early this morning a missile struck a waterfront shopping mall in the Kuwaiti capital.

At the same time, conflicting, unverifiable reports of human rights abuses and destruction within the Kuwaiti capital prompted confusion and concern.

The plight of the deportees from the Kuwaiti capital is just one of the tales of mysery among refugees on the northern edges of Kuwait.

He said the gases could be used in an operation designed to retake the Kuwaiti capital, where house-to-house combat could otherwise produce high casualties.

The Arab forces were far more interested in liberating the Kuwaiti capital, military and allied officials said.

It became obvious to him in another day or two that his one-day business trip to the Kuwaiti capital was turning instead into an extended nightmare.

As officials in the Persian Gulf region and the United States reacted to the incident, another occurred near the Kuwaiti capital today.

The Department said in a written statement that it had checked with hospitals in the Kuwaiti capital and that none said they had any knowledge of the man.

But Iraqi forces have shown no sign of moving to the south, and even residents of the Kuwaiti capital say they feel no particular fear.