The broadcaster, citing its correspondent, said the incident occurred at Abu Hadriyah, a highway connecting the kingdom's Eastern Province with neighbouring Bahrain and Kuwait. It reported two injuries among the security forces. The oil-producing province is a flashpoint between the Sunni Muslim government and the Shi'ite minority, which complains of discrimination and repression.
Starting in 2011, the region was shaken by frequent, though mostly peaceful, protests. Shi'ite militants repeatedly launched deadly attacks on Saudi security forces, but violence has been more rare since security forces largely flushed out gunmen in 2017. Al Arabiya said three of the attackers were on a list of wanted suspects from al-Qatif region, without providing more details. It said the operation took place away from built up areas. (Reporting by Ahmed Tolba in Cairo Writing by Lisa Barrington Editing by Peter Graff)
(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
{{#Source}}{{Source}}{{/Source}}{{#IsBlog}}
{{Disclaimer}}
{{/Disclaimer}}