Eight die as Saudis ambush militants

Six suspected militants and two Saudi Arabian policeman were killed today in a shoot-out north of the capital, Riyadh.

The gun battle took place in al-Qassim, 220 miles north of the capital, said a Ministry of Interior statement.

According to the statement, police raided a farm believed to harbour “wanted men.”

Six of the wanted men were killed and one was injured, while two policemen were killed and eight injured.

The statement said police surrounded the farm and secured women and children first.

Police asked the gunmen to turn themselves in but they refused.

The shooting followed.

Police arrested four people for harbouring the militants, the statement added.