The deadly battle between police in Saudi Arabia and Islamic guerillas entered its third day Tuesday in the Saudi town of Dammam. At least three militants and two policemen have already been killed and the fighting shows little signs of letting up.
Early Tuesday morning, Saudi police landed a helicopter near the villa where the militants were hiding and commandos stepped out to confront the guerillas. Smoke filled the air as the militants fired rocket propelled grenades at government forces.
The police managed to cordon off the entire Mubarakiah district of Dammam which was designed to prevent anybody from leaving the city.
The U.S. consulate in Dhahran, 15 miles from the scene of the fighting, was closed as a precautionary measure.
The fighting in the area has been intense during the past three days. According to Saudi officials, 30 wounded security officers were evacuated Monday night and taken to Dammam Central Hospital. Some of the injuries were considered very serious.
Saudi officials claim that one of the dead militants is 31-year-old Zaid Saad Zaid al-Samari, perhaps the most wanted man in all of Saudi Arabia. Royal officials had been seeking al-Samari for his involvement in terrorist attacks since May, 2003.
Saudi Interior Ministry spokesman Mansour al-Turki said that government troops are fighting against an force of unknown size and would continue to operate with caution.
Al-Turki told the Associated Press, 'We are dealing with people who have a tendency to blow themselves up and we know they have a significant number of weapons and explosives and might take actions that will have a negative effect.'
