RIYADH, 31 December 2004 — Hospitals in Riyadh received 15 members of the security forces who sustained injuries in the two explosions that targeted the premises of the Ministry of Interior and the Special Forces base in Riyadh.

Dr. Muhammad Mufti, director general of the Security Forces Hospital in Riyadh, said they received 11 injured soldiers, five of them from the patrol police and the rest from the Special Forces. All the injured were in stable condition with most of the injuries confined to bruises and cuts resulting from the shattered glass and debris.

At Al-Mashari Hospital, four members of the security forces were admitted after sustaining varying degrees of injuries.

One soldier had his feet amputated while the other three were said to suffer minor injuries.

Seven terrorists were killed in the gun battle following the two explosions.

Shortly after the explosions, security forces raided a villa in a neighborhood north of the capital. Another three were killed in an earlier firefight that began late Tuesday and continued into Wednesday.

Mitieb Al-Anzi, a soldier who was admitted to the Security Forces Hospital, said he suffered cuts and bruises when the glass at their base was shattered because of the explosion. He said they were undergoing training when the blast occurred.

He said his family was informed by the authorities within an hour of the incident and they visited him at the hospital.

“I say to these terrorists that we are ready to die serving the cause of the Almighty Allah. God willing, we will defeat and triumph over them,” he said.

Another member of the security forces, Ghayeb Al-Azimi, from the patrol police said he was injured in the leg, thigh and neck when the terrorists threw a hand grenade at them.

A number of his colleagues were slightly injured, he said.

Doctors told him his condition was stable after performing surgery to remove shrapnel from his body.

The ministry spokesman, Brig. Mansur Al-Turki said both attacks appeared to have been suicide operations as human remains were found inside the vehicles.

In the first attack, the bomber rammed the gate of the ministry compound, triggering a shootout with guards before the vehicle blew up, witnesses said.

In the second attack, guards at the special forces base intercepted the vehicle before it reached the gate, forcing the bomber to detonate his charge more than 350 meters away.

The twin bombings occurred just hours after security forces killed a gunman in a shootout in the capital and sparked another firefight an hour later in which the seven gunmen were killed.

“While these deviant people were carrying out their dreadful acts, security forces were lying in wait for them. Those who did this were eliminated after they resisted security forces at a location in northern Riyadh,” the ministry said.

Lt. Zafir Al-Shahrani of the special forces said he suffered a broken leg when his forces tried to storm a house where the terrorists were hiding.

The terrorists threw at least 35 bombs at the security forces injuring a number of them, he added.

Another soldier, Ali Al-Qahtani, a father of five, said he suffered minor injuries.

He said his elder son told him the family was proud of him when they visited him at the hospital.