Saudi Commandos Free Hostages in Copter Raid
Saudi commandos jumped from helicopters to storm a housing complex Sunday and free dozens of foreign hostages from militants who had killed at least 17 people in an assault on the vital Saudi oil industry.Security sources said several hostages were killed during the rescue operation at the upmarket Oasis compound to end a 25-hour drama in the oil city of Khobar in eastern Saudi Arabia. The final death toll was not immediately clear.
An Internet statement purporting to come from Osama bin Laden (news – web sites)’s al Qaeda network said it carried out the unprecedented hostage-taking, which raised the stakes in a battle the world’s biggest crude exporter has waged against the group for a year.
A later statement signed by the “al Qaeda network in the Arabian Peninsula” vowed to rid the peninsula of “infidels.”
In a dramatic end to the standoff, television pictures showed helicopters dropping commandos onto the roof of the complex. After freeing about 50 hostages, Saudi forces arrested several gunmen, including their leader.
