JEDDAH: Prince Khaled bin Sultan, assistant minister of defense and aviation for military affairs, cast doubts on the veracity of news reports on several Yemeni websites that six wounded Saudi soldiers are currently undergoing medical treatment in Yemen.
“These reports are not confirmed. I do not think they are correct. We only consider authentic reports. The only true thing so far is that nine Saudi military men are missing. We have announced them by name and we cannot say where they are now,” he told reporters after a tour of Saudi Arabia’s southern borders Saturday.
A number of Yemeni websites said Yemeni forces came across six wounded Saudi soldiers in Yemeni territory and took them to hospital for treatment.
The Yemeni authorities have not confirmed or denied these reports.
Prince Khaled confirmed that the Saudi forces are in complete control of the Al-Dood Mountain and its strategically important peak.
He also said 75 Ethiopians and 70 Somalis were caught during military operations along the southern borders.
Prince Khaled did not provide details about where and when the Ethiopians and Somalis were arrested but said they would be interrogated.
The prince added that the Kingdom deals with prisoners of war in accordance with Islamic principles of combat.
Asked when the purging operations would end, Prince Khaled said: “We are not in a hurry. The fighting situation is good. Our objective, set by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, is to minimize human losses and inflict maximum damage possible on the enemy.”
Prince Khaled, while replying to a question, said, “Crown Prince Sultan, deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, enjoys good health and will arrive in the Kingdom in a few days, not weeks, if Allah wills.”
“He has completed the treatment period and stopped takingmedication about two months ago,” the prince added.
Prince Khaled on Sunday visited wounded Saudi soldiers at the Armed Forces Hospital in Jazan. He wished them quick recovery and congratulated them on the Eid Al-Adha.
Meanwhile, Asir Gov. Prince Faisal bin Khaled visited Dhahran Al-Janoub and several other locations in the province bordering Yemen and conveyed Eid Al-Adha greetings of King Abdullah, Crown Prince Sultan and Second Deputy Premier and Interior Minster Prince Naif to the border guards serving there.
Prince Faisal was received by Maj. Gen. Zumain Al-Sawat, commander of the Border Guard, and local officials. The prince was briefed on the Border Guard’s preparedness to defend the country against infiltrators.
The governor also visited the shelter camps built in the area to be used if any attacks take place there.
