Date: Jan 9, 2019 Source: The Daily Star Saudi security operation kills two in Shiite town: TV Reuters DUBAI: Two people were killed and others arrested in a "preemptive" security operation in Saudi Arabia's eastern Qatif province, Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television said Tuesday. The people killed Monday had refused to surrender and then opened fire on security forces, Al-Arabiya reported, citing unnamed security sources. They had been wanted over alleged disruptions to security and development projects in the area, it added. Unverified photographs shared earlier on social media showed a bloodied body carried in a tarp by men dressed in fatigues, and homes pockmarked with bullet holes. An online video appeared to show a military vehicle firing in a residential area. Violence in Qatif has become more rare since security forces largely flushed out Shiite gunmen in a 2017 campaign that left much of the town’s old quarter flattened. Qatif, in an oil-producing province and home to a large Shiite population, is a flashpoint between the government and minority Shiites complaining of discrimination and marginalization. Saudi authorities deny those charges.