Shocked Kuwaitis flocked yesterday to see the futuristic Kuwait Towers moved from the capital's skyline to a rural suburb, a local newspaper said. The towers, which stand opposite the palace of Emir Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmad Al Sabah and are a key tourist attraction, gained international recognition when footage was broadcast world-wide of helicopters flying past them as Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990.

Kuwait's Al Rai Al Aam newspaper was flooded by calls from concerned citizens after a report appeared on the daily's last page, announcing that the Kuwait Towers would be moved to the Al Jahra tribal area as part of a plan to promote rural areas. "To the extreme surprise of the security guards, people have been flocking to the towers since early morning to watch the moving operation," the newspaper's managing editor Ali Ballout told Reuters.

Since the end of the Iraqi occupation, the 20-year-old towers have come to represent the restoration of Kuwait and the transformation of its capital Kuwait City into a modern and bustling centre. The tallest tower soars to 187 metres.