SAUDI ARABIA: Suspected militants shot at US military personnel in Saudi Arabia yesterday, adding to fears about stability following the deaths of 22 people, mostly foreigners, in an al-Qaeda attack.
Security sources and diplomats said no Americans were hurt in the shooting outside a US military compound in Riyadh.
The incident exacerbated concerns about security in Saudi Arabia, a key US ally and the world's biggest oil exporter.
Tensions are high after militants killed 19 foreigners and three Saudis in the eastern oil city of Khobar at the weekend in a shooting and hostage-taking spree. A Saudi diplomat said the authorities were "upgrading, tightening and fortifying security", but did not want to launch a massive military action.
In a separate incident yesterday, Saudi forces killed two militants who the interior ministry said were linked to the Khobar attack. A statement said police shot the men dead in a remote mountainous region near the western city of Ta'if, 1,100 km from Khobar. Saudi forces had been hunting three militants who escaped after the Khobar carnage. - (Reuters)