Saudi forces expel last of Awamiya militants

Saudi security forces on Thursday (August 10th) succeeded in clearing the last remaining militants from the Eastern Province town of Awamiya in Qatif governorate, a Saudi official said.

In a message posted Wednesday on social media, Minister of Information and Culture Awwad al-Awwad said the kingdom's leadership had "eliminated terrorism and brought peace and security" to the area.

According to security personnel who took part in the Awamiya operation, the last raid was carried out on Thursday evening, retired Saudi army officer and military attaché Maj. Gen. Mansour al-Shehri told Al-Mashareq.

At this time, the last position where the militants were holed up was cleared, he said, adding that security forces are in pursuit of those who fled the area.

"After about 90 days of clashes, Saudi forces, led by special forces units, succeeded in restoring security to the Awamiya area," al-Shehri said.

They took control of all the town's neighbourhoods, including Almosara, which had been a den of drug dealers and outlaws believed to be loyal to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), he said.

A number of militants had barricaded themselves inside the area's derelict buildings to prevent construction crews from entering the district and commencing development work.

"The operation required this much time to fully clear the area, out of concern for the safety of the civilians in it who were receiving threats from the militants to force them to stay," al-Shehri said.

"However, evacuating the civilians over the past two weeks and transporting them to safe areas, after tightening the noose around the militants, enabled security forces to enter and clear the area," he said.

Secret passages and arms depots

While conducting sweep and mopping-up operations in the area, Saudi forces reported finding dozens of secret passages in Almosara, al-Shehri said.

The militants had used these walkways to move around the area without being seen by the security forces, he said.

Security forces also found caches of weapons, ammunition, bombs, explosive materials and laboratories that had been used for the manufacture of explosives and improvised explosive devices (IEDs), he added.

Al-Shehri said it has been clear since the outset that the militants are "loyal to Iran and the IRGC" and had received foreign backing, and has since been proven.

Meanwhile, he said, life in Awamiya has begun to return to normal, especially in the areas that have been cleared, searched and declared safe.

Demolition and reconstruction work are set to commence according to the set plan and original timetable, he added, with about 400 houses slated for demolition to make way for a new development.

Compensation payments to the owners of the houses set for demolition have begun, with the total amount to be paid out approximately 900 million Saudi riyals ($240 million).