- KHOBAR, Saudi Arabia (Reuters)
- Suspected al Qaeda militants killed some hostages after Saudi commandos
stormed a building on Sunday to rescue about 50 foreigners being held in
the oil city of Khobar, security sources said.
-
- "In the last hour after Saudi security stormed the
building where the militants were holding hostages, they (gunmen) killed
some hostages," a security source told Reuters but did not say how
many hostages had been killed or give their nationalities.
-
- A manager at the Oasis housing compound, where the militants
were holding the hostages, said three foreign hostages were killed, including
one American and one Briton.
-
- The U.S. Embassy said it could not confirm the report.
Exact details of what happened during the raid were unclear. The militants
killed 16 people, nine Saudis and seven foreigners, on Saturday before
fleeing to the vast Oasis complex.
-
- Security officials say most hostages were rescued and
the leader of the militant group and other gunmen had been arrested.
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- "Forces are combing the compound and its surrounding
areas for explosives or militants who might be hiding," security sources
said.
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- The Oasis manager said medical experts were still looking
after some of the hostages inside the compound: "Some hostages had
fainted, some were dehydrated and some had suffered panic attacks."
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- © Reuters 2004. All Rights Reserved.
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