Seven Killed in Saudi Gun Battle

Saudi security forces killed seven gunmen in a protracted siege in the town of Rass, where battles raged for a second day with suspected Islamic militants, the Interior Ministry said Monday.

A ministry statement said an eighth person was critically wounded and many members of the security forces were injured, though most had been released from the hospital. Fifty-one security personnel were treated by midday Monday, hospital officials said.

Brig. Gen. Mansour Turki, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said the suspected militants had hurled hand grenades at security forces in the town, about 220 miles northwest of Riyadh, the capital.

The battle began early Sunday when the forces tried to raid a house where the suspects were staying. Witnesses said the house had been secured by Monday morning but that gunfire had erupted from a building nearby.

Turki said the security forces had cornered as many as 10 militants in the second building and hoped to arrest them.

He said the gunmen were well-armed and appeared to have plenty of ammunition.

The Interior Ministry said the seven killed were suspected to be members of Al Qaeda, but Turki said their allegiance had not been determined.

Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest exporter of oil, has been battling Al Qaeda supporters since May 2003, when militants launched a campaign of violence against Saudi and Western targets.

Officials say at least 90 civilians, 39 members of the security forces and more than 90 militants have been killed in that time.