Saudi security forces clamp down on militants in eastern province

Saudi security forces shot dead a wanted man in eastern Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, a local newspaper reported, after gunmen tried to stop redevelopment work at the old quarter of Awamiya, where authorities say Shiite militants are hiding.

Reports from various news sites said several people were injured during clashes between security forces who had entered the old part of the town known as Al Musawara (the walled part) backed by bulldozers.

The mainstream Al Hayat newspaper quoted sources as saying that gunmen attacked workers who were trying to start to tear down Al Musawara as part of redevelopment plans and killed a wanted man.

It gave no details about the identity of the man.

Authorities say the narrow streets of the old town known as Al Musawara, which date back more than 200 years, have become a hideout for Shiite militants believed to be behind attacks on security forces in the majority-Shiite oil-producing region.

Awamiya has long been a flashpoint of friction between the government and residents. Tensions have increased since Nimr Al Nimr, a prominent Shiite cleric convicted of inciting violence, was executed a year ago.

Saudi media have published government plans to tear down Al Musawara, built during Ottoman rule more than 200 years ago, to flush out militants who it says are using its narrow streets to escape arrest.

Authorities accuse the militants of mounting a wave of attacks on security forces and a campaign of intimidation against local Shiites whom they accuse of cooperating with Saudi authorities.

Saudi media have reported attacks on local officials, and the kidnapping of a Shiite judge last December.

In January, the Arabic-language newspaper Okaz reported that the governor of Qatif province had estimated compensation payments for 488 houses to be demolished inside the old town would amount to 764 million riyals ($204 million).

Residents say many inhabitants have refused to accept compensation, demanding instead that authorities help renovate crumbling structures rather than destroying them.

In place of Al Musawara, authorities say they will build an attractive district of shopping centres, office buildings, green spaces and fountains.

source: GULF NEWS