JAZAN: The number of Saudi soldiers died fighting Yemeni infiltrators during the last three months has increased to 113, Al-Riyadh Arabic daily reported on Thursday, quoting Maj. Gen. Zaid Al-Khawaji, commander of the Saudi Armed Forces' Southern Region.
He said the enemies captured six Saudi soldiers alive.
"We have found the bodies of three missing soldiers in hilly areas," he said, identifying the dead as Saeed Al-Amri, Mufleh Al-Shahri and Ali Al-Haqawi.
The body of Al-Amri has been buried.
"The bodies of his two colleagues would be handed over to their relatives shortly for burial," he added. "We identified the three from documents that were found with them," he explained. He said the number of missing soldiers has been reduced to nine.
Al-Khawaji said all intruders have been flushed out from the Al-Jabiriya border village in Jazan where heavy fighting took place between Saudi Armed Forces and the Yemeni infiltrators.
In a previous statement, Prince Khaled bin Sultan, assistant minister of defense and aviation for military affairs, put the number of Saudi soldiers killed in the fighting at 82 with 39 injured and 21 missing. He said 90 percent of the 470 soldiers who sustained minor injuries during the fighting were discharged from hospitals after receiving treatment.
