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| Arabia |
| Saudis say bad guyz are down, not out |
| 2005-05-04 |
| Al Qaeda militants in Saudi Arabia have become clumsier and less capable of major attacks, but the kingdom remains vulnerable to strikes like those recently seen in Egypt, a top Saudi official said on Tuesday. Adel Al-Jubeir, foreign affairs adviser to Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah, said a crackdown on domestic militants after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks had eliminated the top tiers of their leadership, disrupted supply lines and communications and curbed their ability to raise funds or recruit members. "It is very clear that their capability is not what it was three years ago. Their ability to conduct large, spectacular attacks is not what it was before," Jubeir told Reuters in an interview in Washington. Jubeir said the remaining militants had become sloppy and were now leaving behind "tell-tale signs, which implies they're more clumsy, less trained." He said their ability to put up a fight against security officers had also waned. "Have we turned the corner in our war against the terrorists? Absolutely. Are we out of the woods yet? No. We still have a ways to go to roll up any remaining suspects who are involved in this," Jubeir said. He said recent attacks against tourists in Egypt -- which authorities believe were carried out by small groups rather than large militant networks -- were a reminder that even isolated or weakened actors were a security threat. "That's what I meant by 'we're not out of the woods yet.' Another concern you have is of copycats," Jubeir said. "A lot of people in Saudi Arabia have arms. You could have a deranged individual who decides, 'Why don't I go into a shopping mall and shoot people?'" Critics say Saudi Arabia is partly to blame for its militancy problem, saying the country's strict Wahhabi school of Islam promoted intolerance and provided an environment in which militancy flourished. But Saudi officials say the criticism is unfair. They say the kingdom had launched a series of steps to fight terrorism, including education reforms, a crackdown on preachers inciting violence and tough measures to keep groups from funneling money to militants. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |