On Sunday, the Saudi government began a security operation in Awamiyah village, with the stated aim of rooting out "terrorist elements." During these raids, "an exchange of fire led to the injury of Corporal Majid bin Turki al-Qahtani, and his death after being taken to hospital…and wounded three security men, a citizen, and a (foreign) resident," according to a statement released by the Ministry of Interior.
But those numbers may not reflect the dozens of activists who were injured during the operation, and that while state media reported the arrest of four militants, residents report nearly 22 people being hauled away to quell potential protests.
"From 4pm until 9pm the gunfire didn’t stop," an Awamiyah resident told Middle East Eye. "Security forces shot randomly at people’s homes, and closed all but one of the roads leading in and out of the village."
The shooting, along with the presence of nearly 40 armored vehicles, caused some locals to return fire, and the situation quickly escalated.
"It is like a war here – we are under siege," a resident told MEE.
— معتقلي البحرين (@BH14Detainees) April 5, 2015
While the government insists it is only going after armed militants, the timing of the raids coincided with calls for protests against the bombing campaign in Yemen.
The Shiite-majority Eastern Province in Saudi Arabia has had its share of clashes with the Sunni government, and in light of the bombing campaign against Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen, that dissatisfaction has only grown stronger.
Riyadh’s military campaign is ostensibly aimed at preventing the chaos in Yemen from making its way across Saudi borders. But some suggest that the conflict is being used as a pretext to tighten control on the Shiite minority.
— Project Zainab (@Projectzainab) April 5, 2015
"The war in Yemen will be used by Saudi authorities to justify a hardened crackdown at home," Yahya Assiri, head of the UK-based Al Qst human rights group, told MEE. "It is very difficult for people in Saudi Arabia to criticize the war, human rights violations, or defend victims of the crackdown. Those who do risk being arrested and later exposed to maltreatment in prison."
"I’m afraid the characterization of this war is quite misrepresented in international media, especially the US press," Associate Professor Firat Demir, of the University of Oklahoma, told RT. "The main goal isn’t to uproot or eliminate terrorism in Yemen, but in fact to encourage terrorism against Shias."
In light of the raids, Awamiyah residents called off the protests.
— د. كريستوفر ديفيدسون (@dr_davidson) April 5, 2015
— مهدي الزاهر (@alzahir_ma) April 6, 2015
"The protest was cancelled because we were told to be careful and that if we rallied [the security forces] would kill everyone," a resident told MEE.
Conflict between Houthi militants and forces loyal to ousted Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi erupted last month. The latest estimates released by the World Health Organization state that over 540 have been killed in the fighting. Many of these deaths were the result of Saudi-led airstrikes. At least six children were reported dead after airstrikes hit a Yemeni school on Tuesday.
