[Chetry:] It's 46 minutes past the hour right now. And we're tracking breaking news right now. According to the Associated Press, officials in Kuwait are saying they foiled a terrorist attack on a U.S. base in their country, and they say the group behind it was linked to Al Qaeda. They also say that the plot was only in its planning stages. Right now we bring in CNN national security analyst Peter Bergen who's in Kabul this morning. Thanks for joining us on the phone, Peter. I want to ask you about this. They claim it was in the planning stages, that they arrested about half dozen people, and that they confessed to buying a truck that they intended to load with fertilizer, chemicals, and gas cylinders and then ram it into the camp. You've been to that camp in Kuwait. What do you make of this?
[Peter Bergen, Cnn National Security Analyst:] Well, this, Kiran, is a major facility in Kuwait. It is used as a major logistical supply point for Iraq. It is termed a temporary base because of the sensitivities that the United States understands about permanent military installations in that part of the world. But it looks doesn't look very temporary. It's a very substantial base with thousands of people on it, buildings that have been up for more than six years now. Kuwait has been not a place where you've really seen a great deal of Al Qaeda activity. It's a very small country. The whole country, you can drive across it in half an hour. It's a little bit bigger than Washington, D.C. It's a relatively prosperous country. It is not a country where Al Qaeda has had much of a hold. But, of course, next door is Saudi Arabia, and, of course, next door is also Kuwait. Both places have historically have had substantial Al Qaeda presences. And if indeed the allegation is true, clearly Camp Arifjan, which is the base that this was directed at, would be a very rich target if this plot had succeeded.
[Roberts:] Peter, it's John Roberts. This is not the first time that the authorities in Kuwait have foiled an Al Qaeda attempt against an American target. Police there in the military service, are they pretty adept at uncovering this sort of activity?
[Bergen:] Yes, I think so. Kuwait is, you know, it's not Saudi Arabia where you've had historically a very large Al Qaeda presence. It is a country with obviously very substantial oil reserves. Islamic parties have done somewhat well in the polls there, but that really hasn't really translated into a great deal of support for Al Qaeda. So I think, similar to Jordan, which has also got a pretty efficient police operation against Al Qaeda, this is a country that, you know, it's quite unusual this kind of thing.
[Chetry:] And Peter, just to update our viewers right now, we just got confirmation. CNN has confirmed that authorities in Kuwait say they've arrested six people, a group linked to Al Qaeda, for trying to attack, as you said Arifjan military base. They point out it's not a U.S. military base but used by the U.S. military. One of the things that some were talking about is that it would be unlikely that an attack could be successful due to the high level of security. And, as you said, you've been there before. What do you think of that assessment?
[Bergen:] Like any military base in the Middle East, U.S. military base, it's, you know, it's in the middle of nowhere. It's highly protected, you know, multiple levels of security. Even if you succeeded in detonating a suicide truck at a base like this, you know, the actual, most of the people on the base are very far in from the perimeter. So even if the plot had succeeded, these are very tough targets.
[Roberts:] Well, Peter Bergen for us. Peter, thanks so much for the update on that. We'll continue to follow the story. Again, Kuwait authorities say that they have foiled a plot to try to attack Camp Arifjan there in the southern part of Kuwait, six people apparently in custody. Only in the planning stages, which is a good thing. We'll continue to follow developments in this breaking story throughout the morning. It's 51 minutes now after the hour.