SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi special forces intensify training to prevent militant attacks in the Kingdom

A helicopter drops men in black onto the rooftop of an isolated building. They slip down its walls using ropes then hurl themselves through the windows like something from a James Bond film. Officers uncover booby-trapped books, phones and cigarette lighters, and remote-controlled robots inspect suspected bombs in the sand before detonating them. Dogs dig for hidden weapons and civilians held hostage in a car are pulled to safety. These Hollywood-style set pieces are in fact training by Saudi security forces for the next stage of their battle against a mini-insurgency movement led by Islamist militants emboldened by the fighting in Iraq. They are a replay of incidents seen in the world's biggest oil exporter since 2003 when al Qaeda sympathisers launched a campaign to bring down the U.S.-allied Saudi monarchy, attacking government buildings, foreign housing compounds and oil installations. Around 264 people have died in the violence, which has tailed off since a failed attempt in February 2006 to storm an oil facility in Abqaiq. But last month the authorities announced the arrest of 172 men in what was described as a major plot to revive the militant campaign, involving men and money from Islamists who are fighting U.S. forces in the desert kingdom's northern neighbour. Prince Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz told fellow Gulf Arab interior ministers this week that Iraq had become the training ground for a "new generation" of militants whose influence would be felt throughout the Arabian peninsula, where the United States maintains a large military presence. "(The purpose is) to have a security apparatus that is fully capable of detecting terrorist acts and discovering extremists or those involved in these actions or those who belong to this group," Interior Ministry spokesman Mansour al-Turki told Reuters at the security display. "The loyalty of the security personnel to the tasks they were assigned to and their ability to realise the magnitude of the mission they undertake in fighting terrorism, the strong backing of the leadership in the kingdom..there is strong backing from the leadership at all levels for security work" he said, sitting below portraits of King Abdullah, Crown Prince Sultan and Saudi Arabia's founder King Abdul-Aziz. Outside, soldiers march past in black outfits and military fatigues chanting "strength, determination, victory" in scenes reminiscent of military-dominated states like Egypt and Syria that were almost unimaginable here a decade ago. The absolute monarchy, which was at first reluctant to admit Saudis had any part in the Sept. 11 attacks on U.S. cities, has launched a media war against militants despite once backing Saudis who left to fight foreigners in places like Afghanistan. Over the past week state media has carried a series of "confessions" by jailed Islamists involved in some of the prominent attacks stretching over the last four years. Analysts and diplomats had questioned whether militants had inside help during some of those operations. Anti-Western sentiment is high because of U.S. policies in the region. The government is now happy to cooperate closely with Western counter-terrorism agencies, who are full of praise for Saudi Arabia's efforts to fight militants.

ITN Source | May 25, 2007

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