Saudi security forces have withdrawn from Shia villages in Qatif in eastern Saudi Arabia following unrest last week in which four people were killed, witnesses said on Monday.The move appears aimed at reducing friction with the kingdom’s minority Shias on the first day of Ashura, a 10-day commemoration of the 7th-century killing of the highly revered Imam Hussein.Security forces pulled out overnight Sunday from Shweika and Awamiya villages in the Eastern Province, scene of intense clashes between protesters and security forces of the Sunni-dominated kingdom, witnesses and rights activists said.“Armoured vehicles transporting anti-riot forces towards Dammam city have pulled out and checkpoints have been lifted,” said one witness, after those forces were brought in as reinforcements during demonstrations.Three Shia Muslims were shot martyred last week during protests triggered by the suspicious death of a fourth Shia near a government security checkpoint./129
