The investigation into this week's attack on French expatriates
in a remote area of Northwest Saudi Arabia continued amid
condemnations from officials and religious leaders and a pledge
from King Abdullah that the perpetrators would be brought to
justice. On February 26 gunmen opened fire from a car on a
group, including four men, three women and two children, who
were resting during a road trip to historic sites according to
press reports. Two died at the scene and two died later from
their wounds.
As the week ended with authorities continuing the search for the
killers, including one person already on a most wanted list of
terrorism suspects, Arab News discussed the current state
of the war on terror in the Kingdom.
Arab News
Editorial: Evil in Action
THE statement that Saudi Arabia is winning the war against
terrorism will provide cold comfort for the families and friends
of the four Frenchmen who were shot dead on Monday near Madain
Saleh by still unidentified gunmen. Our first thoughts and
prayers must be for these families in their deep pain and loss.
The attack was plain evil in action. Putting aside the horror of
the incident � which is not easy � the fact is that,
nonetheless, Saudi Arabia is winning the war against terrorism.
The situation is very different from that in 2004 when there
were some 17 terrorist attacks in the Kingdom. This is the first
major attack since then and the first against foreigners.
Slowly but surely, good intelligence and increased security
measures have paid off. In 2005, some 28 terrorists, including
several on the most wanted list, were killed in a series of
raids. Many more were captured. There was only one terrorist
attack that year � the murder of a senior police commander in
Makkah. Last year saw further success with security forces
thwarting an attempted suicide attack on the oil-processing
facility at Abqaiq in the Eastern Province and, in raids a few
days later, the killing or capture of others involved in that
attack. Success came last October too when good intelligence
resulted in the arrest of a further 44 terror suspects.
No one is going to claim that this is a war won. Last December,
there could have been another suicide attack. Fortunately, the
terrorists were caught in the nick of time but that is part of
the success story. Armed with good intelligence, the security
forces were able to strike first, arresting 136 Al-Qaeda
suspects and preventing the suicide attack from taking place.
There is also the uncomfortable fact that it takes as little as
only one man to mount a terror attack. In this case, we do not
even know at present who was involved in the Madain Saleh
outrage, whether they were part of an organized group or simply
a car filled with joy-riding maniacs with guns in their hands
who happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Nor is Saudi Arabia the only place where such things happen. Two
weeks ago a gunman killed five people in a Salt Lake City
shopping mall. That does not mean terror stalks the streets of
the US.
Whether the Madain Saleh attack was an Al-Qaeda operation or a
freelance gun-spree, one thing is certain: Those responsible
will be hunted down, will be caught and will be made to pay for
their evil deeds. That is no idle boast. Over the past two
years, the Saudi security forces have established an impressive
record of tracking down and capturing or killing those who have
declared war on the country. The killers of these Frenchmen who
were contributing to the prosperity of Saudi Arabia with their
skills and who were engaged in something as normal as enjoying a
desert excursion will find no hiding place.
Source:
Arab News - 28 February 2007
Reprinted with permission
Related Material:
