SPECIAL REPORT
A bomb attack on a “special emergency forces” mosque in the southwest Saudi city of Abha, likely a suicide strike, killed at least 10 security officers and three workers today during noon prayer time.
- The attack was the third attack on a mosque in Saudi Arabia this year, the first two bombings were in the Eastern Province, along with a suicide bomb attack on a mosque in Kuwait perpetrated by a Saudi citizen.
- The May attacks have been ascribed to anti-Shiite motivations among Sunni militants.
- The mosque was used by a domestic security “SWAT” team according to the BBC.
- There have not yet been claims of responsibility for today’s attack. Two previous mosque attacks, claimed by ISIS were in the Eastern Province. Abha is in southwest Saudi Arabia about 75 miles from the border with Yemen.
- Abha is near Khamis Mushait, home to a military base used in the Saudi-led coalition “Operation Restoring Hope” against Houthi rebels in Yemen. In June Saudi Arabia claimed to have shot down a “Scud” surface to surface missile launched by Houthi forces in Yemen against a target in the Khamis Mushait area.
- May 22 – ISIS (Daesh) “soldiers of the Caliphate” claim responsibility for suicide bombing at the Ali Ibn Abi Taleb mosque in Qatif (Eastern Province) that killed 21 during Friday prayers.
- May 29 – The Imam Hussein mosque in the Shiite neighborhood of Anoud in Dammam was attacked at noon by a suicide bomber killing three worshippers. ISIS (Daesh)
- Saudi Arabia announced in July it had arrested over 400 ISIL (Daesh) members in the Kingdom over the previous few weeks and had prevented six suicide operations against Eastern Province mosques and assassinations of security personnel according to Al Jazeera.
Saudi Press Agency Report
Interior Ministry’s Security Spokesman: 10 personnel of special emergency forces in Asir martyred in bombing at a mosque
Asir, Shawwal 21, 1436, August 06, 2015, SPA — The Security Spokesman of the Interior Ministry stated that while a group of the personnel of special emergency forces in Asir region were performing Al-Dhuhur (Noon) prayer together at the forces headquarters, there was a bombing among worshipers resulted in the martyrdom of ten of the personnel of forces in addition to three persons working at the site, and wounding nine others, three of them with critical injuries.
The Spokesman added that there were found at the site human parts believed to be resulted by the bombing of explosive belts; noting that the incident is still under following up of competent security authorities.
–SPA
READ MORE on this topic:
- Blast Hits Mosque in Asir Province, At Least 13 Confirmed Dead in Third Major Mosque Attack in 2015 – SUSTG – AUG 6, 2015
- Saudi mosque hit by deadly suicide bomb – BBC – Aug 6, 2015
- Saudi Arabia arrests hundreds of suspected ISIL members – Al Jazeera – Jul 18, 2015
- ISIS claims 2nd Saudi mosque attack – CNN – May 29, 2015
- Islamic State Claims Responsibility for Saudi Mosque Bombing – WSJ.com – May 22, 2015
