CAIRO, Feb. 24 (Xinhuanet) -- Two Saudi security officers were killed in attempted car bomb attacks targeting an oil refinery in eastern Saudi Arabia, the pan-Arab al-Arabiya channel reported on Friday.

    The two security officers were killed while trying to stop two explosive-laden cars from forcing into the Baqiq oil refinery, a major oil complex in eastern Saudi Arabia, said the report.

    An earlier report said that three vehicles were involved in the foiled attacks.

    At least two attackers were shot dead by security forces, said the report. It was not immediately clear how many people were aboard the cars carrying explosives.

    Meanwhile, a Saudi official said that two other security officers were seriously wounded.

    No further details were revealed, but the TV said that the Saudi Interior Ministry would issue a statement concerning the incident later in the day.

    The suicide drivers, attempting to ram into the refinery, blew off their cars at the refinery's gates after security forces fired upon them, according to a Saudi security official.

    The blasts damaged a pipeline and forced the oil flow to a brief halt.

    Baqiq is the world's largest oil processing plant, which manages two-thirds of the kingdom's oil output.

    Saudi Arabia sits on top of the world's oil production, with a daily output of about 9.5 million barrels.

    The oil-rich kingdom, from which the majority of the Sept. 11 attackers came, has been fighting terrorists including the al-Qaida terror group. Enditem