Manama: Kuwait is to deport 1,170 foreigners for breaking the local laws, reports in the northern Arabian Gulf state said.

The expatriates were detained in a massive crackdown in the Khaytan area carried by several security agencies that dealt with 3,548 people, the interior ministry said.

"The raid was part of the security campaigns launched regularly by the ministry to arrest lawbreakers, convicts and wanted people," it said. "We checked the documents of those detained and allowed 2,378 people to go. However, 1,170 were referred to the competent authorities for deportation. The list includes seven who were wanted in relation with felonies."

The ministry said that 218 of the detainees had broken the residency rules and overstayed in the country despite the expiry of their permits.

Kuwait has been following a strict policy of deporting foreigners who broke the country's rules or put people's lives at risk.

Two thirds of the total population of 3.3 million people in Kuwait are foreigners, mainly unskilled workers and helpers from Asian countries.