Saudi gun battle ends

A THREE-day gun battle between Saudi security forces and suspected al-Qaida fighters ended yesterday with at least 10 militants killed, a security official said.

The Interior Ministry said two al-Qaida leaders were among those killed in the battle. It was the highest casualties among militants in a single fight since Saudi Arabia launched its crackdown on armed extremists in 2003.

The two dead leaders were reported to be Moroccan Kareem Altohami al-Mojati and Saudi Saud Homood Obaid al-Otaibi - numbers four and seven respectively on Saudi Arabia’s list of 26 most wanted al-Qaida-linked terror suspects.