KSA deploys spl. force to protect oil installations
Thursday, 22 November 2007
Roula Khalaf
The first trained members of a security force dedicated to the protection of Saudi oil installations are being deployed, as the government pursues its counterterrorism campaign despite a marked improvement in security.
Fear of terrorist attack on oil facilities led Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil producer, to announce earlier this year the formation of a 35,000-strong security force to protect oil infrastructure.
According to General Mansour al-Turki, a spokesman for the interior ministry, 9,000 members of the force are now either deployed or trained and another 8,000 will be added every year, to reach full strength.
The new force is now working with other existing forces, including the military and the national guard, but will gradually replace these as its numbers increase.
"You cannot rely on supportive forces to protect oil facilities," Gen Turki told the Financial Times. "You need a permanent force."
The force is part of a new security system that includes surveillance equipment and crisis management, and is said to be run by Lockheed Martin, the US defence group. Gen Turki would not directly comment on the involvement of the American company but said that outside assistance was focused on the provision of new technology.
The actual military training, he said, was being done by Saudis in the holy city of Mecca, taking advantage of the use of facilities for the hajj, the Muslim pilgrimage, that are not needed throughout the year.
After a period of denial following the September 11 attacks, which involved a group of Saudis, the kingdom stepped up its anti-terrorism campaign, recognising that one of al-Qaeda's key objective was to bring down the al-Saud royal family.
The Saudis mobilised further after al-Qaeda leaders called for attacks on oil installations. The most serious assault on the industry came in February 2006, when two cars laden with explosives tried to ram the gates of the Abqaiq facility, the world's largest oil-processing plant. The attack sent oil prices up by, $2.0, and highlighted the sector's vulnerability. In April, the Saudi authorities said they had arrested 170 suspects, including trainee pilots planning suicide attacks, in what was described as a threat to oil installations and military bases.
"There is a calming down of activity but you don't know if it's the real result of [government] efforts or alQaeda's decision to lie low," Gen Turki said.
................................
Under syndication
arrangement with FE
The first trained members of a security force dedicated to the protection of Saudi oil installations are being deployed, as the government pursues its counterterrorism campaign despite a marked improvement in security.
Fear of terrorist attack on oil facilities led Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil producer, to announce earlier this year the formation of a 35,000-strong security force to protect oil infrastructure.
According to General Mansour al-Turki, a spokesman for the interior ministry, 9,000 members of the force are now either deployed or trained and another 8,000 will be added every year, to reach full strength.
The new force is now working with other existing forces, including the military and the national guard, but will gradually replace these as its numbers increase.
"You cannot rely on supportive forces to protect oil facilities," Gen Turki told the Financial Times. "You need a permanent force."
The force is part of a new security system that includes surveillance equipment and crisis management, and is said to be run by Lockheed Martin, the US defence group. Gen Turki would not directly comment on the involvement of the American company but said that outside assistance was focused on the provision of new technology.
The actual military training, he said, was being done by Saudis in the holy city of Mecca, taking advantage of the use of facilities for the hajj, the Muslim pilgrimage, that are not needed throughout the year.
After a period of denial following the September 11 attacks, which involved a group of Saudis, the kingdom stepped up its anti-terrorism campaign, recognising that one of al-Qaeda's key objective was to bring down the al-Saud royal family.
The Saudis mobilised further after al-Qaeda leaders called for attacks on oil installations. The most serious assault on the industry came in February 2006, when two cars laden with explosives tried to ram the gates of the Abqaiq facility, the world's largest oil-processing plant. The attack sent oil prices up by, $2.0, and highlighted the sector's vulnerability. In April, the Saudi authorities said they had arrested 170 suspects, including trainee pilots planning suicide attacks, in what was described as a threat to oil installations and military bases.
"There is a calming down of activity but you don't know if it's the real result of [government] efforts or alQaeda's decision to lie low," Gen Turki said.
................................
Under syndication
arrangement with FE