Daily Terrorist Round-up 6/28/05

US troops take control of Taliban stronghold

Skimming low over the desert in helicopters with guns at the ready, American troops advanced into the Khakeran Valley in southern Afghanistan on Sunday, three months after Taliban rebels attacked police and forced them to flee.

The move is the latest part of a strategy to reassert US-led coalition and Afghan control over an insurgent stronghold, after a spate of attacks raised fears of an Iraq-style insurgency here. Blistering US assaults against nearby mountainous rebel camps last week left 178 suspected militants dead.

Up to 300 insurgents are suspected to be in the Khakeran Valley, about 220 kilometers (130 miles) northeast of the main southern city of Kandahar, said Lt. Luke Langer, a platoon leader in the 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade.

"The enemy has been using the Khakeran Valley as a sanctuary," he said. "Without question, I know the Taliban are in the area and I'm sure we will make contact. From talking to local people, we know the enemy are very angry with us being here."

Flying in a convoy of two CH-47 Chinook helicopters, a Blackhawk and two Apache attack choppers, about 50 American troops hopped up the river valley from village to village in search of the rebels.

At the first hamlet, the soldiers rushed from the aircraft as a handful of mangy chickens scampered away in clouds of billowing dust. A few farmers stood around and watched with nervous, but curious, looks on their faces as the troops searched the few mud huts and fields of wheat and tomatoes that made up their community. Nothing suspicious was found.

A report then came through on the radio that a group of suspected rebels had been spotted milling around in the next village. The troops ran back to the helicopters and flew toward it, below the brows of the barren, sun-scorched hills that border the valley.

They landed out of sight of the village, and a small scouting party sneaked off to get a closer view. The other troops waited, ready to attack if the presence of insurgents was confirmed. But then word came back: the group of people weren't rebels, but guests at a local wedding.

Back on the helicopters the troops went, and they flew to Mangal Khan, the main village in the valley, which used to house a local police contingent before the Taliban attacked in March and the officers fled.

They landed on the outskirts of the village and walked in, searching houses as they went. Two men were led out of one of the homes with their hands tied. The troops declined to say why they were suspects.

The soldiers walked into the remains of the local police station, its windows smashed, its walls partly burned and pocked with bullet holes. A meeting was then called with the village elders, and sitting in the yard in the shade of a tree, next to a rusting anti-aircraft gun, the American commander announced that they weren't leaving.

"We are here to stay. We are going to rebuild this police station," Capt. Michael Kloepper told the villagers.

Then, speaking to The Associated Press, he outlined his approach to his job in Afghanistan.

"I came here to help the people, but I also came here to kill the Taliban," he said. "I like fighting the Taliban."

About 465 suspected insurgents have been reported killed since the start of a major upsurge in fighting in March when snows melted on mountain tracks used by the rebels. In the same period, 29 US troops, 38 Afghan police and soldiers and 125 civilians have been killed.

The biggest loss for the insurgents was in the three-day barrage by American aircraft against rebel camps in the Miana Shien district of Kandahar province last week. While about 80 militants, including two top Taliban commanders, are still thought to be in the area, dozens of others are believed to have fled - some possibly toward Khakeran Valley.

American spokesman Lt. Col. Jerry O'Hara said troops were operating across the whole region, "taking away enemy sanctuaries."

"The enemy forces are not dumb. So when they get a sense that we're doing an operation in area 'X,' they will move onto area 'Y,"' he said. "It is our goal to be in area 'Y' before they set anything up."

Associated Press correspondent Daniel Cooney in Kabul contributed to this report.

RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia issued a new list on Tuesday of 36 suspects believed to be linked to attacks in the world's biggest oil exporter, showing its battle with militants is far from over.

In the latest response to a two-year campaign of bombings and killings by supporters of Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda group, state television broadcast pictures of the suspects and offered hefty rewards for their capture.

"Security authorities managed to uncover plans by the deviant group who used themselves as a tool to distort Islam and harm the security of the country," the Interior Ministry said.

The announcement came just days after a report that one of the last remaining militants on an earlier Saudi "most wanted" list had been killed in Iraq.

A senior European counter-terrorism official said the publication of the new list pointed to the "striking ability of these groups to renew themselves ... There is still a large (militant) potential in Saudi Arabia and neighboring states."

Officials say at least 90 civilians and more than 40 members of the security forces have been killed by militants and attacks have caused at least 1 billion riyals ($270 million) of damage.

But police have killed more than 100 militants in the same period and there have been no attacks this year comparable to the multiple suicide bombings of residential compounds in 2003 or the targeted killings of Westerners 12 months ago.

‘Saif’ targets insurgents, foreign fighters in Anbar

Marine Lance Cpl. Cheston Bailon, center, of Shiprock, N.M., aims at an Iraqi man while he and Lance Cpl. Paul Wolowiec, left, of Buffalo, N.Y., enter the man's house to search it, in Hit, Iraq, on Tuesday. — Jacob Silberberg / AP Photo
The Marines launched an early morning offensive in Iraq’s Anbar province June 28 to target insurgents and foreign fighters there.

Operation Saif, or Sword, involves some 100 Iraqi soldiers and 1,000 Marines with Regimental Combat Team 2 operating between the cities of Haditha and Hit, where insurgents have been active, a June 28 Corps release said.

The area has long been a trouble spot for U.S. military forces and an attractive destination for foreign fighters entering Iraq at its Syrian border. The Corps last week ended Operation Romhe, a push against foreign fighters in the Anbar city of Karabilah, according to an earlier Corps release.

The Marines said 47 insurgents were killed and four hostages rescued during the five days of Operation Romhe.

255 candidates surrender arms

KABUL: About 255 former jihadi commanders have so far voluntarily disarmed to join the upcoming parliamentary polls, says JEMB's spokesman Sultan Ahmad Bahin in a statement released here.

The spokesman said the commanders had surrendered more than 2,000 heavy and light weapons.

He said the committee established for the purpose was thoroughly checking the record of the candidates. The aim is to purge the electoral list of those who still possesses arms or having links with any private militia.

He warned candidates found involved in running a militia or keeping illegal arms would be disqualified.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the New Beginning for Afghanistan said 28 provinces had joined the DDR process, the second phase of which was started on June 2 from Nangarhar. The spokesman said 2056 different heavy and light weapons had been collected during the process.

The DDR process was started on March 14, 2003 in Kunduz province. A total of 60,500 soldiers and commanders have been disarmed so far.

2 Saddam brothers questioned in video

BAGHDAD, Iraq — The Iraqi tribunal investigating members of Saddam Hussein's regime released a videotape yesterday showing two of the ousted dictator's half-brothers being questioned about their alleged role in displacing and killing Kurds.

Barzan Ibrahim al-Hassan al-Tikriti, a former presidential adviser, was one of six people shown on the 15-minute video. All six were on the list of U.S. most-wanted Iraqis.

The tape, which showed them being questioned by investigating magistrates, had no audio.

The tribunal said the former presidential adviser was questioned about the killing and arresting of Faili Kurds in Iraq. The Faili minority are Shiite Kurds from an area in northeastern Iraq along the border with Iran. Saddam forcibly deported tens of thousands of Faili early in Iraq's 1980-1988 war with Iran.

Al-Hassan al-Tikriti also allegedly was the chief organizer of a clandestine group of companies and funds handling Saddam's money.

The second half-brother was Watban Ibrahim al-Hassan, al-Tikriti's brother and a former presidential adviser captured April 13, 2003. He also was questioned about the Faili Kurds.

Both men and Saddam have the same mother but different fathers.

The video also showed Latif Nusayyif al-Jasim al-Dulaymi, a Baath Party military bureau deputy chairman captured June 9, 2003. The tribunal said he was questioned about his alleged participation in an "ethnic cleansing" campaign to expel more than 100,000 Kurds from oil-rich northern Kirkuk.

Also questioned about Kirkuk was Ayad Futayyih Khalifa, the leader of a paramilitary force, who was captured June 4, 2003. He also has been charged with ethnic cleansing in Kirkuk.

It was the fourth videotape to be released this month, including one showing Saddam at the beginning of June.

TASK FORCE LIBERTY SOLDIERS TARGET ROCKET CELL IN KIRKUK

TIKRIT, Iraq – Task Force Liberty Soldiers conducted a series of raids in Kirkuk, June 25, targeting a terrorist cell suspected of conducting rocket attacks in the area.

Six suspected terrorists were detained, along with four other individuals.

The Soldiers confiscated material for making improvised explosive devices, rocket fuses and anti-Coalition propaganda.

Operation Diablo Reach Back Targets Militia
Soldiers and policemen from the Afghan Army and National Police and U.S. and Romanian troops embark on an operation to clear the area of anti-coalition militia.

By U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jacob Caldwell
Combined Task Force Bayonet
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, June 28, 2005 — In a 20-day mission in northern Kandahar Province, Combined Task Force Bayonet forces engaged Taliban forces in some of the fiercest fighting seen this year.

Led by the 3rd Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment, coalition forces kicked off the military operation known as Diablo Reach Back June 7 in the rugged, mountainous terrain of Shah Wali Kot district.

The coalition forces included soldiers and policemen from the Afghan National Army, Afghan National Police, the Romanian Army, and U.S. forces from the 3rd Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment; 2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, and the 173rd Airborne Brigade.

Diablo Reach Back, a follow-up mission to Diablo Reach conducted in May 2005, was designed to clear the area of anti-coalition militia so that the provincial government of Kandahar can establish a permanent presence and a good line of communication in the remote, northern district, according to U.S. Army Lt. Col. Bert Ges, 3rd Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment and Task Force Gundevil commander.

The Shah Wali Kot district is considered to be one of the last Taliban strongholds in Kandahar province, but that may soon end as the patience of the district’s residents grows thin with the anti-coalition forces.

“For the most part, the people out here are tired of the Taliban,” said Ges, “Because there is no government representation out here, the Taliban come out of the hills and take their food, beat on them, harass them and then leave.”

Establishing security in the district is the first priority, said Ges, but another is to strengthen the positions of the district leadership. Once this is done, reconstruction efforts can begin in the embattled region.

Ges wants to establish a satellite police station in Gumbad by July 1.

“Gumbad to me is very key terrain in the Gumbad valley,” said Ges, “The people are supportive of us. We have had several major shuras there. We have identified a building, and we want to rent it. We are going to bring (Afghan National Police) forces up there. Anywhere from 20 to 40 men and then we will augment them with (U.S. forces), anywhere from 16 to 40 men. That is to get the infrastructure started, establish communications, and then we’ll nominate a project for an actual police sub-station there.”

“I’ve put a very aggressive timeline of 1 July for this project. I just want to get some troops up there,” said Ges, “I realize they may be living out of their vehicle for the first few weeks. But I just want to get them in there, get a foothold and then expand from there. Every time we are in that village they know that we can provide security. They see the helicopters and the artillery fire. But when we leave, the Taliban can then return. So that’s why in the Gumbad project we want to show that permanent presence. Get the (Afghan National Police) there and help them out.”

Security has been a challenge in the district. This operation alone saw minor battles near the villages of Zamto Kalay and Chenartu.

There was also significant enemy contact made by Delta Company, 2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment June 14 in the vicinity of Takht Kalay and June 17 in the vicinity of Gumbad.

“The men that we are fighting now have been around for awhile,” said Ges, “They know how we fight, so we have to be very quick and aggressive… All of the operations that we have had during Diablo Reach Back have had Afghan National Army soldiers with them. They are the main effort. We have substantial forces here also, but they do the bulk of the fighting.”

Specifically involved in this operation were (Afghan National Army) soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 1st Brigade and (Afghan National Army) soldiers from Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Brigade, according to Maj. Kevin Bigelman, 3rd Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment Operations Officer.

“The (Afghan National Army) did a great job. They were well equipped, well led, and they did exactly what they were tasked to do, which was to clear the objective area and the surrounding towns,” said Bigelman.

“There has been a significant reduction in enemy forces,” said Cpt. George Whittenburg, 3rd Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment Intelligence Officer, “The terrain does not lend itself to finding bodies.”

The reception of coalition forces by the residents has been varied.

“At the worst, the reception has been neutral,” said Ges, “But some have been very positive. It all comes down to the leadership of the villages.”

Maintaining and improving the relationships with the various village elders is essential to the success of future operations in the village.

“We don’t want to come into a location or objective, clear it and then leave,” said Ges, “We want clear the area and then go right into civil affairs.”

“What we have been doing during this operation is bringing the district chief and the district police chief with us to show them the conditions of the area and let them hear what the people are saying,” said Ges, “We always end up with what is called a shura, a meeting with the village leaders and elders.”

“And then we do a village assessment. We review all of their issues and concerns and we are very honest with them. We get all of the potential projects that they may want to have accomplished. We take them back to Kandahar to the province headquarters. And there, they do an assessment themselves and begin to prioritize (the projects),” said Ges.

Leading an international and inter-battalion force, in what are typically infantry missions, has been a rewarding experience for Ges, a field artillery officer.

“I’m very impressed by the paratroopers who come in hard, fight the enemy, and then, like that, they are already going into the next phase, where we are trying to help the people,” said Ges, “Our paratroopers know at all times that the Afghan people are not the enemy, that the enemy is the Taliban.

Srinagar, June 27: Four persons including a divisional commander of Hizbul Mujahideen were killed in separate incidents across the state since Sunday.
Troops and police in a joint operation killed a divisional commander of frontline militant outfit Hizbul Mujahideen in village Kand Gawadi 25 kilometers from Kishtawar on Monday morning.

According to reports, the personnel on a specific tip off raided the house of an engineer Ghulam Muhammad Malik. During searches the troops came under heavy gunfire from the militants inside the house triggering an encounter. During the ensuing gunbattle, the troops killed divisional commander of Hizb Showkat Ali alias Waseem son of Ghulam Rasool of Reknalyamar Doda. Police has claimed recovery of arms and ammunition from the encounter site. However the locals, according to CNS contradict the police claims saying the commander was killed in custody. According to the locals, the commander was first detained and later gunned down in the fake encounter.

The people of the area today observed a complete shutdown in protest of the killing. Shops and business establishments remained closed and vehicular traffic remained suspended. The people according to KNS took out a huge demonstration against the killing and gheraod the police station. They also pelted stones on the police station damaging its windowpanes and injuring two police constables. The police fired tear smoke shells and resorted to lathicharge to disperse the agitated protestors. The protestors accused the police of detaining the house owner's son Tanveer Ahmad.

The authorities according to KNS have imposed curfew without giving any information.

SSP Doda, P R Manhas while terming the killing of divisional commander as a major success told Greater Kashmir the information was developed by state police and he was shot dead in the subsequent encounter. He was one of the oldest surviving militants operating in the area, he added.

Showkat, according to the police official was actively involved in the militancy since 1993. SSP said Showkat was an expert in IED detonation and was responsible in IED blast in the convoy of then Health Minister Lal Singh, in which SDPO Kishtwar was killed.

Troops of 1ST Rashtriya Rifles killed a Harakat-e-Jehad-Islami militant during an encounter Takia Bahram Shah Islamabad on Monday. According to CNS the slain militant has been identified as Abdul Rasheed Gori son of Ghulam Ahmad of Gadool Kokernag.

Unidentified gunmen abducted 35-year-old Taja wife of Ghulam Hassan Mir at Kralapora Kupwara on Sunday night. She was later on shot dead by the gunmen. The deceased according to police is survived by three children.

Personal security guard of SP Kulgam and ex-SGC man Abdul Rasheed Sheikh belt No. 43. KLG was shot dead by unidentified gunmen at Pumai Kakran Kulgam on Monday. The deceased policeman had come to home on a holiday.

Two Pakistanis held for filming Taliban attacks

June 27, 2005|15:02 IST

Afghanistan authorities have arrested two Pakistani nationals on charges of entering the country illegally to film Taliban attacks against US troops and government installations in Kunar province. With this, the number of Pakistanis arrested in Afghanistan over the past week has risen to five.

The duo belongs to Pakistan’s North-West Frontier Province (NWFP). Most of the 50,000 Pakistanis hailing from the province are employed in Afghanistan, particularly the construction industry.

Giving details of the arrests, Kunar Governor Asadullah Wafa said that the two men had come with Taliban commander Mulla Ismail to make movies of attacks against US-led coalition troops.

He, however, didn't provide names of the arrested men. Nor did he provide any details about the cameras or other equipment seized from them.

Wafa alleged that an Arabic language TV channel had paid Rs 500,000 to the duo to film the Taliban military operations.

The News reported that Ismail claimed responsibility for a number of rocket attacks and roadside explosions in Kunar in recent days. He reportedly set up his own band of followers named Bira'a ibne Malik Front that operates under its own name and owes allegiance to Taliban leader Mulla Mohammad Omar.

Ismail revealed that his men fired rockets at the US military base at Manegai near Kunar's capital Asadabad.

Here are the names:
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=66089&d=29&m=6&y=2005&pix=kingdom.jpg&category=King

Kingdom Issues New List of Terrorists
Raid Qusti & Samir Al-Saadi, Arab News

RIYADH/JEDDAH, 29 June 2005 Saudi Arabia yesterday issued a new list of 36 suspects believed to be linked to a series of terror attacks across the country, reflecting the government's resolve to go ahead with its anti-terror campaign.

In the latest response to a two-year campaign of bombings and killings by supporters of the Al-Qaeda terror network, the Interior Ministry broadcast pictures of the suspects on state television and offered hefty rewards for their capture. "Security authorities managed to uncover plans by the deviant group who used themselves as a tool to distort Islam and harm the security of the country," the ministry said in a statement.

The announcement came days after a report that one of the last remaining militants - Abdullah Al-Rashoud - on an earlier list of 26 most wanted terrorists had been killed in Iraq.

Officials say at least 90 civilians and more than 40 members of the security forces have been killed by militants.

Police have killed more than 100 terrorists during the same period and there have been no attacks this year comparable to the multiple suicide bombings of residential compounds in 2003 or the targeted killings of Westerners 12 months ago.

The ministry offered a bounty of up to SR7 million for anyone who helps capture a terrorist or foil an attack. Most of the wanted men on the new list are Saudis while some are from Chad, Yemen, Morocco and Mauritania. Fifteen are believed to be at large inside Saudi Arabia while 21 are outside the Kingdom.

Speaking to Arab News, Gen. Mansour Al-Turki, Interior Ministry spokesman, said the ministry released the new list after thorough investigations. Referring to the suspects outside the Kingdom, Al-Turki said: "We don't have information on their whereabouts, but we know they have fled the Kingdom."

Saudi analyst Faris ibn Houzam said that of those outside Saudi Arabia, most were likely to be in neighboring Iraq. "The issue for the government is when those fighters in Iraq return to Saudi Arabia," he told Arab News.

This is the first time the government has issued a list of terrorists outside of the Kingdom, he said. "By releasing the list, the ministry is giving an early warning on the men," he added. "The list also proved that terrorists in the Kingdom have been receiving outside support." He also pointed out that many terrorists fled the Kingdom as a result of the government's fierce campaign against the militants.

Saudi security consultant Nawaf Obaid said most of the Saudis - who made up 29 of the 36 names on the new list - were "second tier" militants who had worked under more senior operatives, most of whom have been killed or captured.

All but two men on a previous Saudi list of 26 wanted men, published in December 2003, are believed dead or in custody. The non-Saudis are wanted by Saudi Arabia but "also represent a threat in their native countries" because they have gained access to money, logistics and training, Obaid said.

Saudi Arabia has been battling Al-Qaeda terrorists, who have staged several bloody attacks on foreign residents, government sites and energy-industry installations in the last two years.

Kevin Rosser of London-based Control Risks said the publication of the latest list showed Saudi officials were not easing up in their fight with the militants. "In some ways it's a very positive step, but it also shows the long-term nature of the problem," he said. "It's a deeply entrenched and open-ended struggle," he added.

The ministry called on the wanted men to surrender, saying this would be "taken into consideration when looking into their case."

The statement, which was carried by the Saudi Press Agency, said the families of the suspects as well as the countries of foreign suspects have been informed that the government is searching for them. "Through information retrieved from those who had taken part in the terrorist attacks since May 12, 2003, it was able to reach valid information about other suspects involved," the ministry said.

The ministry warned citizens and residents against dealing with the suspects, adding that authorities would question anyone who dealt with them.

"The release of the new list offers a chance for anyone who had cooperated or dealt with these suspects in the past to approach security officers to explain their actions, a measure that would relieve them from later being questioned and from charges that could be leveled against them for taking part in terrorist acts," it said.

The ministry has offered SR1 million to anyone who gives any information that leads to the capture of a wanted terror suspect on the list. SR5 million will be given to anyone who gives any information that leads to the capture of more than one suspect. SR7 million will be given to anyone who gives information that foils a plot to carry out a terrorist act.

The new list of terrorists is as follows:

(A) Terror suspects who are wanted for their roles in terrorist activities in the country and are believed to be inside the Kingdom.
(1) Younus Mohamed Al-Hiyari, 36, Moroccan. He entered the country in 1991 to perform Haj. He has not left the country since and has gone underground. He has a wife and a child and was last seen east of Riyadh.
(2) Fahd Farraj Al-Juwair, 35, Saudi. Born in Zulfi, his last residence was in Riyadh.
(3) Zaid Saad Al-Samary, 31, Saudi. His last residence was in Al-Kharj.
(4) Abdul Rahman Saleh Al-Miteb, 26, Saudi. He was born in Zulfi and lived in this central city.
(5) Saleh Mansour Al-Harbi, 22, Saudi. He used to live in Buraidah in the Qasim region.
(6) Sultan Saleh Al-Hasry, 26, Saudi. He used to live in Madinah.
(7) Mohamed Abdul Rahman Al-Suwailemi, 23, Saudi. He used to live in Riyadh and has good computer skills. He is also good in using the Internet. He was last seen in Al-Kharj.
(8) Mohamed Saleh Al-Ghaith, 23, Saudi. He used to live in Riyadh.
(9) Abdullah Abdul Aziz Al-Tuwaijeri, 21, Saudi. He used to live in Buraidah.
(10) Mohamed Saeed Al-Amry, 25, Saudi. He used to live in Madinah.
(11) Ibrahim Abdullah Al-Motair, 21, Saudi. He was born in Zulfi where he used to live. He was last seen in Al-Kharj.
(12) Walid Mutlaq Al-Radadi, 21, Saudi. He used to live in Madinah and was last seen in Al-Kharj.
(13) Naif Farhan Al-Shammary, 24, Saudi. He used to live in Hafr Al-Baten.
(14) Majed Hamid Al-Hasry, 29, Saudi. He used to live in Riyadh.
(15) Abdullah Muhaya Al-Shammary, 24, Saudi. He used to live in Hail.

(B) Terror suspects who are wanted for their role in domestic terrorist activities but information says they are abroad:
(1) Noor Mohamed Moussa, 21, Chadian.
(2) Manour Mohamed Yousef, 24, Chadian.
(3) Othman Mohamed Kourani, 23, Chadian.
(4) Mohsen Ayed Al-Fadhli, 25, Kuwaiti.
(5) Abdullah Walad Mohamed Sayyed, 37, Mauritanian.
(6) Zaid Hassan Humaid, 34, Yemeni.
(7) Fahd Saleh Al-Mahyani, 24, Saudi.
(8) Adnan Abdullah Al-Sharief, 28, Saudi.
(9) Marzouq Faisal Al-Otaibi, 32, Saudi.
(10) Adel Abdullateef Al-Sanie, 27, Saudi.
(11) Mohamed Abdul Rahman Al-Dhait, 21, Saudi.
(12) Sultan Sunaitan Al-Dhait, 24, Saudi.
(13) Saleh Saeed Al-Ghamdi, 40, Saudi.
(14) Faiz Ibrahim Ayub, 30, Saudi.
(15) Khaled Mohamed Al-Harbi, 29, Saudi.
(16) Mohamed Othman Al-Zahrani, 44, Saudi.
(17) Abdullah Mohamed Al-Rumayan, 27, Saudi.
(18) Mohamed Saleh Al-Rashoudi, 24, Saudi.
(19) Saad Mohamed Al-Shahry, 31, Saudi.
(20) Ali Matir Al-Osaimy, 23, Saudi.
(21) Faris Abdullah Al-Dhahiry, 22, Saudi.

This is the third list of wanted terrorists released by the ministry. On May 7, 2003, the ministry released a list of 19 top terrorists saying that they were from Al-Qaeda and were wanted by the government for plotting a major terrorist attack in the Kingdom.

Five days later, on May 12, several terrorists blew up detonated cars that targeted three Western compounds in the capital. Thirty-two people were killed in the triple suicide bombings. Since then, security forces in the Kingdom have been engaged in battles with Al-Qaeda militants.

By the end of 2003, the ministry released a second list of top terrorists; this time the number was 26, the majority of whom were Saudi nationals.

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