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Failaka Island, scene of gunbattle between US Marine and assailants
KUWAIT CITY (AFP) Oct 08, 2002
Failaka Island, the scene of a shooting incident on Tuesday that left one US Marine and two assailants dead, is the most populous of Kuwait's nine small Gulf islands.

Lying 20 kilometres (12 miles) northeast of Kuwait City at the mouth of Kuwait Bay, Failaka covers 12 kilometres by six kilometres (eight by four miles) and is almost completely flat.

The island, which is home to Kuwait's main archaeological site, is well served by ferries to two man-made harbours and linked to the capital Kuwait City through four submarine pipelines which provide sweet water and electricity.

Between 2300 BC and 1100 BC, a Bahrain-based maritime trading civilisation called the Dilmun dominated the Gulf and had a settlement on Failaka, remains of which can still be seen today.

The Greeks arrived in the 4th century BC in the form of a garrison sent by Nearchus, one of Alexander the Great's admirals, and Failaka became known as Ikaros.

The island also has ruins of homes, fortifications and temples dedicated to Greek deities from that period.

During Iraq's seven-month-long occupation of Kuwait from August 1990, triggered in part by Baghdad's longstanding demand for greater access to the sea, the Iraqis turned Failaka into a heavily-fortified base and spread mines across the area.

All Kuwaitis living on Failaka moved back to the mainland, although some families have since begun renovating their properties.

After the Iraqi occupation, the Kuwait government bought up many of the residences on the island and the Kuwaiti armed forces today maintain a major presence, served by a large number of Asian staff and foodstalls.

Kuwait has sovereignty over nine islands in Gulf waters in total, the largest being Bubiyan in the north, but only Failaka is inhabited by more than a coastguard crew.

Other than Bubiyan and Failaka, Kuwait also has the Warba, Miskan, Auhha, Kubbar, Qaruh, Umm al-Maradim and Umm al-Naml islands, the white sands and coral reefs of which make them popular weekend destinations.

Based on a direct foreign investment law, the government has plans to build up Failaka as a tourist resort to encourage development and investment in the emirate.

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