Posted by NEWS on 31/5/2004, 21:24:40 Militants went on an unprecedented rampage at the weekend, storming oil offices and compounds in the eastern city of Khobar, killing 22 civilians and taking 50 foreign hostages. "This is not somebody planting a bomb and running off. This is large numbers of armed men running amok in a very large city, which is unprecedented," said Tom Ripley, Research Associate at British-based Center of Defense and International Strategic Studies. "That part of Saudi Arabia is the most strategic in terms of oil reserves in the world and the seeming inability of the Saudis to control it will be making lots of people very nervous. "The credibility of the Saudi statements about having the situation under control are looking very, very weak at the moment. The whole confidence in their security apparatus is getting lower and lower...," he said. Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda network aimed to deal devastating blows at the Saudi royal family by staging multiple attacks at the nerve center of the world's top oil exporter, analysts said. A Western diplomat said security was critical but Saudi rulers were not necessarily under threat. "We think we're entering into a period which is going to be nastier but that's happening because these people are being forced into the open," he said. Militants were picking opportunist targets after authorities closed in on them and foiled major suicide bombings recently, he added. Western oil majors said they were unlikely to pull out but would consider repatriating families. "Each terrorist attack here has caused some Westerners to say 'well this is the time to leave' but I do not foresee a stampede for the exit," the diplomat said. Some analysts said another major attack on a foreign target could prompt an exodus of Westerners. WEAK CONFIDENCE Starting at an oil office, the gunmen evaded security forces long enough Saturday and Sunday to leave a trail of havoc in Khobar. They mowed down 19 foreigners, dragged a British corpse through the streets and held 50 foreign hostages before Saudi commandos rescued them. Only one militant was arrested while three others fled in the deadly attack -- the second this month after militants killed five Westerners at a petrochemical complex. The militants' defiance of a government that declared war on them one year ago has raised questions about the grip of security forces in a country whose stability is vital to an energy-hungry world. Many observers were critical, pointing out the drama lasted 24 hours before the Interior Ministry gave its own account. They noted the first detailed version of events came from Saudi Arabia's top Al Qaeda leader, Abdulaziz al-Muqrin. Muqrin's statement, posted on the internet, boasted the group had struck American companies that specialized in oil and the attack had been planned with precision. "We tell (Saudi Crown Prince) Abdullah and his tyrants: Our war with you will not end until God's will is enforced and the crusaders are expelled from the land of Muslims, leaving their agents (Saudi rulers) easy prey for the mujahideen." The attack sent shockwaves into world markets already on edge over the possibility of a militant strike in Saudi Arabia. The oil superpower swiftly vowed to keep its crude supplies flowing smoothly. Diplomats and analysts said the impact on oil prices would be short-lived because the militants have not been able so far to attack oil installations and refineries. "Oil from Saudi Arabia is not going to stop flowing because of this. Saudi Aramco is an overwhelming Saudi company that is more than capable of keeping it flowing," the diplomat said. Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of bin Laden, has been battling his supporters since May last year when a triple suicide bombing in the capital Riyadh killed at least 35 people, including nine Americans. Eighteen people died in another attack in November and last month a suicide car bomber killed at least six people when he detonated explosives outside a security headquarters.
ANALYSIS-Qaeda Attack on Westerners Shows Saudi Security Gaps
By Samia Nakhoul
KHOBAR, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - Al Qaeda's daring attack at the heart of Saudi Arabia's oil producing region has exposed glaring security gaps and raised fears of a mass exodus of Westerners from the kingdom, analysts said.
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