Two more Saudi soldiers were released by the infiltrators Thursday and were received at the Riyadh Airbase Airport by Prince Khaled Bin Sultan, Assistant Minister of Defense and Aviation for Military Affairs. The two men are Sergeants Ahmad Bin Abdullah Al-Amri and Khaled Bin Saleh Al-Owdah. This brings to three the number of soldiers released so far, with two still to be freed. On Monday the infiltrators released the first soldier. Prince Khaled checked on the health of Al-Amri and Al-Owdah, who thanked the Prince for receiving them and prayed to Allah to protect the Kingdom. Prince Khaled said that he was constantly in contact with the authorities in Yemen about the remaining soldiers in captivity. “They are missing and we will not feel at ease until we know their fate and whether they are alive or are martyrs. This is in line with the directives of the King and the Crown Prince. There has been no information about them so far.” He said the two freed men will undergo medical tests before being reunited with their families. In a press statement, Prince Khaled thanked Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh for his concern about the welfare of the Saudi soldiers. He confirmed that Saudi forces currently have 500 infiltrators as prisoners, who are being treated and handled under international regulations. He said that he wished that they could return to their country. The men were captured during more than three months of fighting in the border region. Prince Khaled said that the ceasefire committees have started work to secure the border region with Yemen. He said that there were no more snipers or infiltrators at the border. According to reports, Yemeni soldiers would soon be deployed along the border with Saudi Arabia on Saturday. There is currently a demining operation taking place to ensure the region is secured. The infiltrators had announced their withdrawal from the border area on Tuesday. As part of the truce, the infiltrators are required to free all prisoners, open all roads to the North, withdraw from government buildings, return arms seized from security forces, hand over captured army posts and also promise not to attack Saudi Arabia. The infiltrators have been involved in an on-off conflict with Yemeni forces for almost six years. It has been estimated that the war has seen 250,000 people displaced from their homes. Aid agencies are warning that a humanitarian crisis is waiting to happen if food and medicine is not allowed to enter into the territory. The United Nations has said that the massive amount of displaced people need urgent help and support and hoped that the truce would last. Prince Khaled lauded the bravery of the armed forces that protected the country from the infiltrators. He said this is not strange for the “sons of the country of the Two Holy Mosques”. He said the Saudi armed forces had been involved in an unconventional war. The terrain was difficult, but the soldiers had proven their bravery and fighting capability, he said.
