Saudi security forces, having dealt a blow to Al Qaeda inside the kingdom, are on guard for the return of Saudi militants from their "jihad" against US troops in neighbouring Iraq.
| Funny, so are American forces in Iraq. |
"Of course we expect whoever is left (in Iraq) to come back to Saudi Arabia. But of course, we will deal with them the same way we dealt with the others," said interior ministry spokesman Brigadier-General Mansoor Sultan Al Turki.
Two years after the outbreak of a bloody wave of attacks, Saudi authorities say they have broken the back of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, whose last strike now dates back to December. According to official figures, 90 civilians, 41 security personnel and 110 militants have died in a spate of deadly attacks in Saudi Arabia, many targeting Westerners, since May 2003. "I would say we have accomplished the mission by either killing or capturing them," Turki said in an interview with AFP.
But "we cannot say we have reached the situation where we can ensure that no terrorist crime could be implemented in the kingdom. We are not saying that," he cautioned.
In a major coup for the Saudi authorities, 15 suspected militants were killed, including two Al Qaeda chiefs, in early April in a gunbattle with security forces in Al-Rass, 320km north of Riyadh.
From a list of 26 most wanted militants published in December 2003, only three remain at large, including Saleh Al Oufi, an ideologue of the movement who reports at the time had said was killed in the Al Rass clash. "He is still alive and he is still wanted," said the interior ministry spokesman.
A diplomat posted in Riyadh said that behind the official statements on a job well done, the Al Qaeda threat still posed a real threat. "I don't think they are naive enough to believe Al Qaeda is finished," he said.
The next generation is waiting in the wings. "Whatever the outcome in Iraq, those people will come back one day," said the diplomat. |