Posted on 05/31/2004 5:52:07 PM PDT by blam
Saudis promise to root out all the al-Qa'eda 'deviants'
By Robin Gedye, Foreign Affairs Writer
(Filed: 01/06/2004)
Five of the the six terrorist cells known to be active in Saudi Arabia have been dismantled in the past year, a senior Saudi official claimed yesterday as his country vowed to hunt down al-Qa'eda "deviants".
In an attempt to reassure the outside world that the security situation was under control, Prince Turki al Faisal, the Saudi ambassador to London, said there appeared to be no new recruits to the core of al-Qa'eda members identified last year by the Saudi intelligence services.
Prince Turki: it will take 'decades' to defeat the extremists
But his comments were unlikely to assuage western fears that Saudi Arabia's security forces were ill-prepared and deeply penetrated by the militants. Even Prince Turki admitted that it would take "decades" to defeat the extremists.
Senior Saudi and US officials say that intelligence co-operation has improved dramatically recently and that western security agencies are providing technical assistance.
But time and again, when Saudi police have mounted raids on al-Qa'eda suspects, many terrorists have been able to slip away as they did on Monday. In November, several terrorists escaped from a raid in Mecca; 10 militants vanished on Aug 10 during a gun battle with police; and last May 19 al-Qa'eda suspects shot their way out of a police trap.
The inevitable conclusion over last weekend's operation is that the terrorists have often had help in the inside - help to plan the operation, help with knowledge of the area and help in escaping.
It is not just that al-Qa'eda has almost limitless wealth with which to bribe and fund operations - last year al-Qa'eda spent more than $500 million in maintaining its network in Saudi Arabia, much of it coming from the illegal drug trade in Afghanistan - but it enjoys the support of a cross-section of Saudi society. Saudis acknowledge privately that al-Qa'eda has infiltrated its security forces and military.
The CIA concluded in an internal report last year that al-Qa'eda could draw from a pool of up to 10,000 Saudis for operations and logistics. Insurgents who attacked residential compounds in Riyadh in November, like the Khobar terrorists at the weekend, used military vehicles and uniforms to penetrate the secure areas. Several tailors in Riyadh routinely sell military and national guard uniforms without asking clients for identification.
Foreign intelligence agencies are known to be concerned at the number of Egyptian, Pakistani, Sudanese, Syrian and Indian nationals who have been integrated into the Saudi air force, army, navy, police and security forces.
There are about one million Pakistanis in the kingdom, of whom many are also employed as computer operators and in the maintenance and training at Saudi airbases.
Saudi attempts to cut down on its huge foreign labour force in sensitive positions, started after the September 11 attacks on America, have made little progress. Out of a total Saudi workforce of 7.2 million, about 200,000 foreigners still work in the public sector and even more in the private sector.
Mohammed al-Masari, a leading Saudi extremist who lives in Britain, has said two types of Saudis sympathise with Osama bin Laden. "Some are sincerely fed up with the corruption and lack of respect for Islam," he said. "The others hope to use the jihadis for their power game inside the royal family."
Friction between King Abdullah and his half brothers fuels al-Qa'eda's dreams of destabilising the kingdom to the point where it creates the climate for a coup while providing it with extra funds from embittered members of the extended family.
Yeah, and Presidente Fox promises to stop the flood of his people from entering the U.S. illegally.
There gonna have to kill half the Royal Family to accomplish this.
To "root out the deviants", the Saudi military will be issued prybars..
Going to get worse in the Magic Kingdom before it gets better.
The 'deviants" are in the Saudi military and intel services and security services.
The pooch is screwed..
Sure they will ....
Al Qaida is indistinguishable from a secret military wing of the Saudi Government. I have stated as much many times here over the last 2.5 years.
indeed. its amazing - read that article, the terrorists seem to "escape" after every atack - even when surrounded.
this is why we are so desperate so get other flows of oil online from the Caspian and central Asia - Saudi Arabia could well meltdown. I wonder if someday, we'll have to essentially seize the oil fields and secure them - and let the rest of the country go to hell.
UGH!!!!!!
Storm Warning:
The Saudi promises to root out all AQ "deviants" but no mention of rooting out all AQ. Period. Apparently AQ who toe the line are excused.
The perps escape because Islam forbids deter-ing the Jihad.
This is not a remote possibility and more likely than you or I can imagine.
Al-Qa'eda will probably wind up chasing the royal family to Switzerland and we'll clean up the mess in Saudi Arabia in the midst of a worldwide (lack of energy driven) depression.
what's the geography there, are the oil fields and the shipping terminals isolated from the urban population centers?
It is not just that al-Qa'eda has almost limitless wealth with which to bribe and fund operations - last year al-Qa'eda spent more than $500 million in maintaining its network in Saudi Arabia, much of it coming from the illegal drug trade in Afghanistan - but it enjoys the support of a cross-section of Saudi society. Saudis acknowledge privately that al-Qa'eda has infiltrated its security forces and military.
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