Worldwide praise for Saudi cop as Daesh shootout video goes global

January 9, 2017

Jeddah, Jan 9: The brave police officer who shot and killed two Daesh-linked terrorists has been hailed as a hero by Saudi citizens and the international media.

Daesh

The UK-based Daily Mail has cited his bravery, saying that “despite the terrorists being armed with machine guns, an officer shoots them [the two terrorists] with a pistol.”

“Hero police officer shoots dead two ISIS terrorists wearing explosive belts in a dramatic gunfight captured on camera in the Saudi Arabian capital,” said the Daily Mail.

Cpl. Gibran Jaber Awagy was wounded in the dramatic shootout in Riyadh on Saturday — but said he did not even realize he was injured until afterward.

The militants were armed with Kalashnikov rifles and explosive belts. Awagy shot dead the two militants from behind a patrol car, which the two militants had tried to steal in their escape attempt.

Awagy, who is recovering in hospital, won praise for his quick actions in stopping the “most wanted” Daesh terrorist Tayea Salem bin Yaslam Al-Sayari and accomplice Talal bin Samran Al-Saedi.

On the day of the security operation in Riyadh, Cpl. Awagy was called to the scene in the Al-Yasmeen neighborhood as reinforcement. He and his colleagues immediately cordoned off the area to prevent civilians from coming close to the site and getting harmed, he told Sabq.com.

It was then that two men dressed in traditional Saudi dress came out of a house running.

“At first, I was not sure whether those running in front of me were the terrorists; they could have been neighborhood residents trying to run away from the terrorists. I was asking them to take shelter. Suddenly they started firing at me so I immediately pulled out my pistol and fired back,” he said. A local resident shot a video of the incident, which went viral on the Internet. It showed how the operation was carried out by Awagy and the death of one of the terrorists.

The video does not clearly show how the other terrorist was brought down.

But there is more to the story, as the brave police officer explained.

“I was carrying a machine gun when one of the terrorists started shooting at me and tried to carjack my police patrol vehicle. By the time the other terrorist arrived, the magazine of the machine gun was empty, so I immediately pulled out my pistol, and shot and killed him,” he said.

In the process, Awagy was shot in the leg by one of the terrorists, but that did not stop him from stopping the Daesh militants’ escape bid.

“I did not realize I was injured and bleeding until after all had finished. My top priority was to kill those terrorists and eliminate the risks they were posing,” he said.

Awagy is being treated in hospital and said he will hopefully recover with no consequences.

Soon after he was admitted to hospital, Awagy received a phone call from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif, who checked on his condition and conveyed King Salman’s greetings and wishes of speedy recovery.

His story has gone viral on social media and got picked up by international media outlets, praising Awagy for his heroism and putting his life on the line.

People on social media circulated the hashtag #The_Hero_Jabran_Awaji and expressed their admiration of the policeman’s bravery and heroism.

“One has to admit that when it comes to fighting crime, Saudi forces are one of the best!” said AbdulRahman Siddiqui on Facebook.

Abdulrahman Paidumama was impressed with the performance of Awagy and said, “It is not easy to face the AK47 while in your hand is just a 9mm pistol, what a brave policeman... may Allah protect you all the time.”

The perfect timing and correct use of moves impressed Mahamad Amin Shaikh “He is a real Hero. I Salute this Brave man.”

Manal Saleh felt reassured after watching the video of the policeman’s courage hunting down the terrorists in a heartbeat without thinking for a second and said, “Saudi policemen will do everything to protect all of us inside the Kingdom.”

Despite the fact that the two militants had machine guns, grenades and suicide belts, “the brave Saudi cop” — as Mohammed Sadiq Mulki described him — deserved a medal of honor. “Hats off him for his courage and bravery,” he said.

Global media outlets also praised Awagy’s quick thinking and brave actions.

The London-based Daily Mail newspaper called the police officer a “hero,” while accounts of his brave actions were also reported in The Independent newspaper, Yahoo News and numerous other outlets.

Maria Dubovikova, a leading Russian political analyst who specializes in Middle Eastern affairs, shared the video of the Riyadh encounter on her Twitter account.

“#SaudiArabian policeman armed with a pistol against two #ISIS terrorists armed with Kalashnikov. Guess who wins!” she wrote from her Twitter handle @politblogme.

Speaking to Arab News on Sunday, Dubovikova, president of the Moscow-based International Middle Eastern Studies Club (IMESClub), said she was very impressed by the professionalism and efficiency of the Saudi security forces who protect their homeland from terrorists.

“On their shoulders is a heavy burden but they bear it with responsibility and great professionalism,” she said. “People around the world should understand this; the bravery of the Saudi security forces should help clear away all the negative stereotypes of Saudi Arabia.”

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
March 26,2024

gazastrike.jpg

There is no let-up in the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an “immediate ceasefire.”

Israel carried out air raids and artillery strikes on several parts of Gaza on Tuesday, hitting residential buildings and gatherings of displaced people, “killing and wounding hundreds of people”, the Palestinian Information Center said.

Among the victims are 15 people, including four women and children, who were killed in an attack on a house in the neighborhood of Mosbeh, north of Rafah.

Media reports also said that fighting on the ground continued unabated.

That’s while the UN Security Council on Monday adopted a resolution for an “immediate ceasefire” for the ongoing Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The resolution was put forward by the 10 non-permanent members of the UN Security Council. The US abstained and the 14 other council members all voted in favor of it.

After the vote, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres wrote on social media platform X that failing to implement the resolution “would be unforgivable.”

Palestinian resistance movements have welcomed the resolution, but Israel’s minister for military affairs Yoav Gallant said Israel will not stop its attacks in Gaza. 

“We will operate against Hamas everywhere – including in places where we have not yet been,” Gallant said.

Israel’s foreign minister, Israel Katz, also said in a post on X that the attacks will continue until all the captives taken by Hamas during its October 7 blitz are released.

Israel unleashed its war on Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian Hamas resistance group carried out Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the usurping entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.

Since the start of the offensive, the Tel Aviv regime has killed more than 32,300 Palestinians and injured over 74,000 others.

The Tel Aviv regime has also imposed a “complete siege” on the territory, cutting off fuel, electricity, food, and water to the more than two million Palestinians living there.

Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, said Israel has committed acts of genocide in Gaza.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
March 15,2024

yemen.jpg

The leader of Yemen’s Houthis has said that the Yemeni armed forces will continue their retaliatory operations against Israeli-affiliated commercial vessels, preventing the passage of the ships even through the Indian Ocean and through the Cape of Good Hope.  

About 34 Houthi fighters have been killed since the Yemeni armed forces began to attack shipping lanes in solidarity with the people of Palestine under attack in Gaza by Israel, Ansarullah leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said in a televised speech on Thursday.

Yemeni forces have repeatedly launched drones and missiles against Israeli and Israel-bound ships since mid-November, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians against Israel's war on Gaza.

Al-Houthi said 73 ships have been targeted in Yemeni operations in support of Gaza so far, adding rarely does any ship associated with the Israeli enemy pass through Bab al-Mandab.

“This week, support operations included 12 operations targeting ships and barges, executed with a total of 58 ballistic and cruise missiles and drones in the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, and the Gulf of Aden,” he said.

“Our operations this time reached unprecedented ranges, with 3 operations reaching the Indian Ocean, by the grace of Allah,” he added. “The total number of targeted ships and barges reached 73.”

Al-Houthi said that the operations will continue as long as the aggression and siege on Gaza persist.

The United States and Britain began striking Yemen in January in order to dissuade the country from targeting Israeli ships which carry arms and logistics for the onslaught on the besieged Gaza Strip.

Al-Houthi said the Americans and the British have received “painful blows” from the Yemeni armed forces in retaliation.

The American-British “aggression will not affect the escalating course of our operations in terms of range, momentum, precision, and strength,” said Al-Houthi.  

“What can stop the Yemeni military’s maritime operations is only the cessation of aggression and siege on Gaza,” he noted.

The American stubbornness and escalation of aggression result in only one outcome: the expansion of the conflict, the widening of the circle of war and events, and the tension of the situation at the regional level in general, he stated.

He went on to say that the Yemeni armed forces will continue and effectively expand the range of the operations to reach areas and locations that the enemy never expected.

Al-Houthi said what insures the navigation security in the Red Sea is for any country not to participate in the Israeli aggression against Gaza.

He said the Americans and those who drag the United States towards the militarization of the Red Sea are the ones who undermine international navigation.

“By the grace of Allah and His assistance, we aim to prevent the passage of ships associated with the Israeli enemy even through the Indian Ocean and from South Africa towards the Cape of Good Hope,” he stated.

“For this important, advanced, and significant step, we have begun to implement our operations related to it through the Indian Ocean and from South Africa towards the Cape of Good Hope,” he said.

There is absolutely no choice for the American and the British but to stop the aggression on Gaza and stop starving the people in Gaza, he declared.

“Our human conscience, our religion, our morals, our dignity, our pride, our belonging to Islam, prohibit us from watching the oppression of Palestine or remaining silent about it,” said Houthi.

He added that the Yemeni military is in continuous development of capabilities and in constant expansion of the stance in its range, effectiveness, and impact.

“The American's actions this week, involving aerial bombings and naval shelling, amounted to 32 bombing raids and strikes, which, as usual, were unsuccessful,” he revealed.

“The impact of the American raids and bombings is negligible regarding our missile and drone capabilities and in terms of continuing operations effectively to counter it, and in preventing ships associated with the Israeli enemy,” he stated.

He concluded by saying that the Yemeni armed forces are continuously escalating, and increasing capabilities to attack enemy ships. “No matter what the Americans do, they will not be able to stop us from supporting the Palestinian people in Gaza.”

Yemenis have declared their open support for Palestine’s struggle against the Israeli occupation since the regime launched a devastating war on Gaza on October 7 after the territory’s Palestinian resistance movements carried out the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm.

The Yemeni Armed Forces have said they won’t stop retaliatory strikes.

The maritime attacks have forced some of the world’s biggest shipping and oil companies to suspend transit through one of the world’s most important maritime trade routes.

Tankers are instead adding thousands of miles to international shipping routes by sailing around the continent of Africa rather than going through the Suez Canal.

Since the start of Israel's genocidal war following Operation al-Aqsa Storm by Gaza-based resistance movements on October 7, 2023, more than 31,000 Palestinians, including many women and children, have lost their lives.

The Israeli military offensive has left a trail of destruction in Gaza, leaving hospitals in ruins and displacing around half of its 2.4 million residents.

Israel has additionally enforced a comprehensive blockade on the coastal sliver, severing the supply of fuel, electricity, sustenance and water to the population residing there.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
March 25,2024

palestine.jpg

A Palestinian woman has recounted terrifying incidents after Israeli military forces raided al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City last week, saying the occupying regime’s soldiers are raping Palestinian women before killing them.

Jamila Al-Hisi, an eyewitness who was besieged in the medical complex and managed to finally get out, said on Saturday that women have been subjected to rape, starvation, torture, and extrajudicial execution, adding that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is doing nothing.

She went on to say that Israeli troops have “forced 65 families to leave the area around the al-Shifa Medical Complex whilst burning and killing entire families,” noting that they have burned a building where Palestinian civilians were taking shelter.

“We don’t even have water to break our fast, and we don’t know where to go,” Hisi said, stressing that the displaced people in the compound have not found food or water for six days.

She further called on the Red Cross to provide water for the children and the sick who are being forced to drink dirty water and eat rotten food.

Palestinians are being forcibly displaced by Israeli occupation forces from the area surrounding al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza, Hisi said, adding, “We are trapped amid continued Israeli shelling.”

The latest development comes as the Israeli military continues to carry out air strikes and artillery shelling in and around the al-Shifa Hospital for the seventh day in a row.

On Monday, heavily armed Israeli forces stormed the al-Shifa hospital using tanks and drones, claiming that the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas is using the facility to “conduct and promote terrorist activity.” Later that day, Israel said that “terrorist forces” were firing at Israeli troops.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza said at the time that about 3,000 people were inside al-Shifa seeking refuge and that those attempting to leave were being targeted by snipers and fire from helicopters.

Ever since the Israeli military raided the hospital last week, reports have suggested unspeakable atrocities being carried out against the doctors, nurses, and general staff as well as the thousands of displaced people there.

Israelis have admitted to executing 140 people inside al-Shifa, including paramedics, patients and wounded whilst the siege is still ongoing after seven days with mass arrests.

Meanwhile, a group of Palestinian activists have circulated a shocking story about the Israeli soldiers raping a pregnant woman in the al-Shifa hospital, alongside Hisi’s revelation.

Watan-Palestinian activists quoted the husband of a woman who was raped by Israeli forces as saying that “They ordered her to undress and began to beat her… She told the military she was five months pregnant, not to beat her, but they continued to beat her.”

“After hours, they took out all the women except the pregnant woman, and her children… They took her in front of her husband and children and raped her, ordering the men not to close their eyes or they would be shot.”

Israel waged the war on the Gaza Strip on October 7 after Hamas carried out the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm into the occupied territories in response to the occupying regime’s intensified crimes against the Palestinian people.

Since the start of the aggression, the Tel Aviv regime has killed at least 32,226 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and injured another 74,518 individuals.

Tel Aviv has also imposed a “complete siege” on Gaza, cutting off fuel, electricity, food, and water to the more than two million Palestinians living there.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.