PolicyExternal Affairs
India condemns Saudi attacks after one Indian is killed at Dammam airport
The External Affairs Ministry called the strikes on Dammam's airport and the Shaybah oil field 'completely unacceptable' after one Indian national died and three were injured.
Key points
- One Indian national was killed and two injured in the attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam.
- Another Indian was hurt in a strike on Saudi Aramco's Shaybah oil field.
- The MEA said attacks on civilian infrastructure must cease immediately.
India on Thursday condemned the latest attacks on Saudi Arabia after one Indian national was killed and three others were injured in strikes on the Dammam airport and a Saudi Aramco oil field.
The Ministry of External Affairs said one Indian died and two were injured in the attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam on 21 October. A fourth Indian was hurt in a separate strike the same day on the Shaybah oil field, deep in the desert of the kingdom’s Eastern Province.
“We strongly condemn the continued attacks on civilian and energy infrastructure in Saudi Arabia,” the ministry said. “We also reiterate that the attacks on civilian and critical infrastructure are completely unacceptable and must cease immediately.”
The ministry offered condolences to the family of the man who died and wished the injured a speedy recovery. “We stand in solidarity with the people and the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” it said. The Indian Embassy in Riyadh is in touch with Saudi authorities and will give all possible help to those affected. The names of the victims have not been made public.
A second Indian death in two weeks
It is the second time this month that an Indian has died in an attack on a Saudi airport. On 10 October, Mohammed Yousef Ali was killed when King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh was struck, and 11 Indians were injured. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said then: “We condemn all such attacks on civilian infrastructure and call for them to cease immediately.”
Thursday’s statement went a step further in its language, calling the strikes “completely unacceptable” and explicitly naming energy infrastructure. Saudi Arabia is one of India’s largest suppliers of crude oil and home to one of the biggest Indian communities abroad, and strikes on Aramco facilities bear directly on both.
The statement did not name who carried out the latest attacks.
What happens next
The embassy has been issuing advisories to Indian nationals in the kingdom since the Riyadh strike, and Indian airlines have repeatedly suspended flights to Saudi cities. New Delhi has not announced any change to its advice for the Indian community after the Dammam attack. The ministry is expected to be asked about the safety of Indians in the Gulf at its next weekly briefing.