Saudi armored vehicle explodes in Shia town: Media reports

An armored vehicle belonging to the Saudi military has reportedly exploded in the besieged Shia town of Awamiyah, which has been under attack by regime forces over the past days.

According to Taqreed al-Ahrar news website, all those on board the military vehicle were killed after it exploded in Awamiyah, located in the Qatif region of Eastern Province, on Friday.

The exact reason for the explosion is unknown, but reports by other news outlets indicated that it was caused after two armored vehicles collided and one was engulfed in flames.

Sources have also reported widespread mutiny among Saudi military forces in the besieged town, with a large number of troops refraining from field operations against people.

The incident occurred just a day after the regime forces, equipped with heavy weapons, launched a fresh wave of shelling attacks against Awamiyah, as a fierce crackdown on protesters there enters its second week.

The Saudi military fired a full array of weapons, including rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), at different residential areas in the flashpoint town.

Saudi regime forces have been attacking Awamiyah since May 10, after putting the town under a siege, in the wake of fierce clashes with local residents protesting the demolition of the historic al-Mosara neighborhood for a planned development project.

Pictures and videos of bulldozers, escorted by heavily armored military vehicles and heading toward the site, have gone viral.

Since February 2011, Saudi Arabia has stepped up security measures in the Shia-dominated Eastern Province, which has been rocked by anti-regime demonstrations.

The protesters demand free speech, the release of political prisoners and an end to economic and religious discrimination.

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