Awamia Siege: Saudi Forces Firing Rockets at Residential Buildings
Local Editor
Videos circulating on social media showed Saudi soldiers atop rooftops in Awamia firing a full array of weapons, including rocket-propelled grenades, at residential buildings in the besieged Shia-populated town.
Many individuals have been martyred so far while several others have been wounded in more than 80 days of tensions in Awamia, as the Saudi regime escalates its heavy-handed crackdown in the kingdom's Eastern Province.
Awamiya has been the scene of increased anti-regime protests and an ensuing crackdown, with the Saudi regime pushing ahead with its controversial razing of the al-Mosawara historical neighborhood.
Authorities claim the district's narrow streets have become a hideout for militants which they accuse of being behind alleged attacks on security forces in Eastern Province.
Security forces equipped with heavy weapons have been deployed in Awamia since May 10, following fierce clashes between the regime forces and locals protesting against the destruction.
Bulldozers escorted by heavily armored military vehicles have demolished several houses, businesses and historical sites across the Shia-majority region over the past few weeks.
Ali al-Dubisi, the head of the Berlin-based European Saudi Organization for Human Rights, on Sunday expressed serious concerns over the situation in Awamia.
He said the regime forces were following a scorched land policy in the region, launching endless rocket attacks and shelling residential buildings and civilians there.
Residents, he said, are barricaded in their homes but they are resisting Saudi pressures to evacuate the area.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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