RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia is making progress in its campaign against terrorism, Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said today - a day after security forces killed the suspected chief of al-Qaida on the Arabian Peninsula.

The suspected militant was shot dead with an alleged accomplice in a Monday afternoon clash at a checkpoint in eastern Riyadh, the capital.

"Saudi Arabia has announced it is fully pledged to eradicate terrorist activities in the country and to cooperate in the international arena with everybody that is fighting (terrorism)," Saud said when asked to comment on the shootout.

The Interior Ministry identified those killed Monday as Khaled Ali Haj, a Yemeni, and Ibrahim bin Abdul-Aziz bin Mohammed al-Mezeini, a Saudi.

Haj, who also uses the name Abu Hazim al-Sha'ir, was the "most dangerous" al-Qaida operative in the region, a ministry official said. He once served as a bodyguard to Osama bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaida.

A U.S. counterterrorism official said Haj's killing was a "very significant blow" to al-Qaida.

MOSCOW - An apparent natural gas explosion sheared off part of a nine-story apartment building in the northern Russian city of Arkhangelsk early today as residents slept, killing at least 15 and trapping dozens under the rubble.Authorities refused to rule out terrorism amid heightened tension in Russia after a series of terrorist attacks blamed on Chechen rebels. In fall 1999, explosions blamed on rebels ripped through apartment buildings in Moscow and two other cities, killing some 300 people.But a gas leak was seen as the most likely cause, emergency workers said, after fire fighters responding to the scene reported a strong odor of gas and gas employees said leaks had been reported in other Arkhangelsk buildings overnight.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - Haiti's new U.S.-backed leader angrily pulled his ambassador from Jamaica for hosting ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, whose return to the Caribbean threatened to spur more violent protests to demand his return.A gunman presumed to be a militant Aristide supporter shot and wounded a U.S. Marine. The first peacekeeper casualty since Aristide fled Haiti two weeks ago was seen as revenge for the killings of two Haitians by Marines - under fire - who some here accuse of being trigger-happy.At least three people accused of destabilizing Haiti were arrested among a dozen in a police crackdown that appeared to target Aristide partisans.Aristide, who has accused the United States of abducting him and forcing his departure from Haiti Feb. 29, made no political comment when he arrived Monday in Kingston, apparently bowing to Jamaica's demand that he not use the neighboring island to pursue his campaign to return to Haiti.But Aristide indicated when he left the Central African Republic, another coup- and poverty-ridden country, that he had not abandoned his ambitions."For the time being, I'm listening to my people," he said.By The Associated Press