Saudis kill seven al-Qaida suspects
Seven suspected al-Qaida militants were killed in a shoot-out with security forces in central Saudi Arabia, the Interior Ministry said today.
The statement said another militant was taken to hospital in critical condition.
It said a number of security forces were injured and treated before being released from hospital.
An official said earlier that the 35 police had been wounded in the fighting, which began early on Sunday in ar-Rass, 220 miles north-west of the capital, Riyadh.
The fighting began after police cornered several militants in the town’s Jawazat district. Ar-Rass is near Buraydah, a known stronghold of Islamic fundamentalists in the kingdom.
“Security forces continue to mop up the location,” said the statement. It did not elaborate whether the fighting was over.
