JEDDAH, 8 April 2005 — Life returned to normal to the town of Al-Rass, 300 kilometers north of Riyadh, where security forces fought a pitched battle with terrorists killing 14 and arresting a number of them in a standoff that lasted nearly three days.
Power and other services were restored to the neighborhood where the fighting took place and debris removed from the surroundings. Police were looking for unexploded shells they think may have been left over from the fighting but in general the area has been cleared of debris, said Al-Rass Vice Governor Khaled Al-Assaf.
Five wounded militants were captured while a sixth surrendered. Fourteen security personnel were wounded
Interior Minister Prince Naif said the terrorist group has been dealt a blow but cautioned that more attacks may be carried out by the deviant group.
Over the past four days 16 militants have been killed, including three on the Ministry of Interior’s list of 26 most wanted terrorists.
One of those killed was the Moroccan Abdul Kareem Al-Majati who was suspected of masterminding Al-Qaeda bombings in Casablanca two years ago. Only three militants on the list of 26 remain at large.
Prince Naif said he cannot say the battle against militants was over. “I cannot say operations have ended, although members of the deviant group have been weakened. They may still surprise us anywhere in the Kingdom. We will continue to fight them,” he said in statements after visiting the site of the fighting in Al-Rass in Qasim region.
On Wednesday, Saudi security forces killed a wanted terrorist, Abdul Rahman Al-Yazji, in a raid in a southern Riyadh neighborhood.
Prince Naif said the identity of those killed in Al-Rass would be announced after the verification process was completed, adding the ministry would release a statement later confirming the identities of those killed.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and Sudan swapped security suspects wanted on security charges.
The Kingdom handed over three Sudanese nationals detained on security charges and received six Saudi nationals in an extradition exchange.
An Interior Ministry official said that all the men were wanted in security cases, but did not give details.
