GRAPEVINE

By DAVID ELLIS

Iraqi soldiers in Kuwait City have taken up residence in thousands of the city's apartments and have been ordered to fight to the death, according to a Palestinian economist who left the occupied country in late January. Dislodging the well-armed soldiers will involve "house-to-house, street-to- street fighting," says the Palestinian. He confirms that Iraqis have mined refineries, government buildings and large homes to prevent the allies from establishing forward positions. In the process, citizens have been left without shelter. "I have seen with my own eyes that Iraqi soldiers are dug in everywhere, and they will use the local population as shields," he adds.

With reporting by Sidney Urquhart