American soldier killed by gunshot in Kuwait

By Associated Press, 12/30/1999 09:15

KUWAIT (AP) An American soldier who died during a routine training exercise in Kuwait was killed by a gunshot, the U.S. Embassy said today.

The embassy had reported the soldier's death Wednesday. Its statement Thursday identified the victim as Pfc. Christopher Dale Baber, 19, and said he died of ''a gunshot wound'' in a ''training accident.''

The incident is being investigated by the U.S. Army, the statement said.

It said Baber was a tank crewman and a member of 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry from Fort Stewart, Ga. He was in Kuwait as part of a routine training rotation.

Continuous exercises by the U.S. military are part of a 10-year defense pact that Kuwait signed with Washington after the 1991 Persian Gulf War that liberated Kuwait from a seven-month Iraqi occupation.

-- && (&&@&&.&), December 31, 1999