Saudi Policemen Shot Dead In Country’s East

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Two Saudi policemen were shot dead on Wednesday after coming under fire in the country’s east, the Interior Ministry said. Wednesday’s pre-dawn attack happened near a farm in the Saihat area of Qatif, on the Gulf coast. A ministry spokesman said no suspects had been immediately identified.

Saudi Arabia has been hit by a spate of deadly shooting and bomb attacks in recent months, many claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Last week, two Indian passers-by and a policeman were wounded when officers came under fire in Qatif.

In early October, gunfire erupted in the Shia Muslim-majority town of Awamiya, near the Gulf coast city of Dammam, after police sealed it off with armoured vehicles.

Over the past year, Saudi Shia Muslims have also been targeted by suicide bombings and shootings claimed by ISIL. A gunman killed five Shia Muslims last month during commemorations of Ashura, one of their holiest observances.

Source: Agencies