An American soldier stationed in Kuwait shot and killed himself on Thursday at a US military base in the oil-rich Gulf state, the interior ministry said.

The ministry said in a statement on Twitter that the soldier, who was not named, used his personal gun to kill himself while on duty.

The Pentagon confirmed the death of a US soldier in a "non-combat related incident" in Kuwait, without elaborating.

The interior ministry said the soldier was rushed to a public hospital in southern Kuwait but was pronounced dead on arrival.

Several thousand American soldiers are stationed at Camp Arifjan, a military base about 70 kilometres (43 miles) south of Kuwait City.