Iraqi Shiite group claims firing mortar rounds into Saudi Arabian border area over insults

CAIRO – An Iraqi Shiite group has claimed responsibility for firing six mortar shells at a region of Saudi Arabia bordering Iraq and Kuwait.

Wathiq al-Batat, the leader of the so-called Mukhtar Army, said the shelling was in retaliation for religious decrees in Saudi Arabia that insult Shiites and encourage killing them.

Al-Batat told Beirut-based Iraqi satellite news channel al-Sumaria on Thursday that the mortars should be considered "a warning." He also said: "If they continue their provocations, we will carry out armed operations inside Saudi territories."

Saudi border guard spokesman Brig. Gen. Mohammed al-Ghamidi told the Saudi Press Agency on Wednesday that six mortar rounds hit an uninhibited area in Hafar al-Batin in the east, causing no damage.