The Battle of Failaka broke out between the Kuwaiti garrison of Failaka Island and attacking Iraqi forces during the Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait, on 2 August 1990.[citation needed] The Kuwaiti garrison consisted of an infantry company and a company of border guards, in addition to air defense company armed with Hawk SAMs. Iraqi forces consisted of a special forces battalion transported by helicopters reinforced with a battalion of marines.
| Battle of Failaka | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Gulf War | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Iraq |
 Kuwait | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Ra'ad al-Hamdani |
Saif Al-Anezi † Ghazi Ahmed † | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
|
Iraqi Special Forces Battalion Marine Battalion Helicopter Support |
Infantry Company Company of Border Guards | ||||||
Aftermath
editAfter the successful takeover by the Iraqi army, the island of Failaka was depopulated, with its 2,000 residents expelled to the mainland.[1] The island was retaken by US forces in 1991, using tools of psychological warfare, making the Iraqi contingent of 1,400 surrender without a single shot.[2]
References
edit- ^ "War scars on Failaka island visible after 20 years". News.xinhuanet.com. 31 August 2011. Archived from the original on 8 November 2012. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
- ^ North, Andrew (17 March 2003). "Middle East | US psy-ops play it loud". BBC News. Retrieved 11 November 2015.