Kuwait City, June 21: Kuwait's Emir decorated Gen. Tommy Franks, the retiring head of US Central Command, with the country's second-highest medal today. Sheik Jaber al Ahmed al Sabah presented the Kuwait medal and sash to Franks at his residence in Dasman Palace in a brief ceremony attended by Kuwait's crown prince, Sheik Saad al Abdullah al Sabah and other members of the ruling family.

The honors were for Frank's ``distinguished services,'' according to the state-run Kuwait news agency. The US Army General, who commanded American forces to battlefield victories in Afghanistan and Iraq, announced he was retiring this summer after 36 years in uniform.

This small oil-rich state has been a major ally of Washington since the US-led Gulf war liberated it from a seven-month Iraqi occupation in 1991. It was a major launch pad for the war on Iraq that toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein.
Franks arrived in Kuwait on Thursday. He met with American troops and high-ranking Kuwaiti officials.

Bureau Report