RIYADH, April 4: At least seven militants were killed and a number of security personnel received injuries in a marathon gunbattle that lasted over 30 hours in the town of Al-Ras in the Buraida / Al-Gassim region, some 350km from here. The protracted siege started on Sunday morning when police were informed about the presence of some wanted militants in a apartment building in the otherwise peaceful town of Al-Ras. Gunfire continued until Monday evening.

The gunbattle is regarded as the longest such incident during the two-year wave of violence plaguing the kingdom.

Area people told this correspondent on Monday afternoon that the fighting between security forces and militants was still going on.

When security forces laid a siege to the area in the early hours of Sunday, they were faced with stiff resistance and heavy gunfire. The clash continued till Monday evening and at the time of filing of this report, the mopping up operation was reported to be continuing. The fighting erupted when security forces came under fire from automatic weapons, the interior ministry said in a statement carried by the official SPA news agency.

The suspects also used hand-grenades, but security forces “silenced the sources of fire and evacuated the area,” it said. Helicopters were seen hovering over the site of the clashes and reinforcements were sent late Sunday evening to handle the situation. Special Forces, trained to deal with similar situations were also reportedly sent to the site.

The interior ministry statement confirmed seven deaths, adding that an eighth militant was critically wounded. A number of security personnel were also injured during the siege. Most of the security personnel have been released from the hospital.

Earlier, hospital officials were quoted as saying that 51 security personnel had been treated by midday on Monday.

The suspected militants, holed up in a complex in the town’s Jawazat neighbourhood, had hurled hand-grenades at security forces.