evidence: QARUH ISLAND // The first time Col Abdullah Dashti, 49, raised a flag on a tiny island in Kuwait's southern waters, it was more than just an expression of patriotism; it signified the beginning of the end of an occupation that shook the entire region. When he again planted a flagpole in Qaruh Island's sand on Tuesday, he began Kuwait's celebrations marking 20 years since Saddam Hussein's armies withered away in the face of an onslaught from a superior force. [...] Col Dashti said the Kuwaiti navy was active throughout the occupation in search-and-rescue operations looking for American pilots who had ditched into the Gulf. He said the allies reclaimed the island - which is usually unoccupied save for a few coast guard personnel - as part of a 45-day operation to capture Iraqi scouts occupying nearby oil rigs and liberate Kuwait's offshore territories. Despite the fighting and a missile attack on one of the ships, no Kuwaiti military personnel died during hostilities.