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Al-Qaedaâs gonna destabilize Soddy Arabia
The al-Qaida terrorist network has decided to intensify its efforts to foment instability in Saudi Arabia, the worldâs largest oil producer, and overthrow the royal family, warns a new top-secret CIA assessment. The CIA Intelligence Memorandum, portions of which have been provided to President Bush, was described by intelligence and other officials on the condition that they not be identified because the document is highly classified. Moreover, there is some concern that disclosing the assessment could anger Saudi officials, they said.
| It could also cause toilet paper consumption to spike... |
A CIA spokesman declined to comment.
| "I can say no more," he said, drawing his cloak closer over his face... |
Serious instability in Saudi Arabia could disrupt the kingdomâs petroleum exports, drive up world oil prices and cripple the U.S. economy, which is beginning to recover from recession, as well as the economies of other countries. A senior U.S. official familiar with the new CIA assessment, which was completed last week, insisted that "only in their dreams" could al-Qaida succeed in toppling the Saudi royal family. An intense crackdown in May by Saudi security forces after the first of two al-Qaida suicide bombing attacks this year has "taken out" most of its senior leaders and left their network "badly damaged," he said.
| They're going to remain in danger until they start cutting heads off â not just the heads of cannon fodder, but the heads of clerics. When the first cleric's head rolls, the Bad Guys will fold... |
But, he cautioned, followers of Osama bin Laden are still capable of staging attacks against Saudi and foreign targets. "There are a lot of indicators that the remnants of al-Qaida are trying real hard, real soon, to do something," he said.
| Thank you for today's statement of the obvious... |
The lingering threat was underscored by an unsuccessful assassination attempt last week on the third highest official in the Interior Ministry, an attack that the Saudi government hasnât made public, said U.S. officials.
| There go the old back-door negotiations... |
Bin Laden has long sought to topple the Saudi royal family and replace it with even stricter Islamic rule. The new CIA assessment, according to those who have read it, says that al-Qaida has decided to launch a major destabilization drive sooner rather than later because waiting could cost it more losses in followers and weaponry to the ongoing crackdown. As many as 10,000 Saudis, many of them disgruntled by endemic corruption and a lack of employment opportunities, could support al-Qaida, although only a fraction of that number is believed to be ready to take up arms against the ruling al Saud family, says the report. The assessment identifies Abdul Aziz al Muqrin, who trained at an al-Qaida camp in Afghanistan, as the new commander of al-Qaida in Saudi Arabia. He replaced Youssef al Ayeri, who died in June in a shootout with Saudi security forces.
| "Nos morituri te salutant, effendi!" |
Al Miqrin recently returned to Saudi Arabia and is believed to have established a terrorist training camp in a remote area of west-central Saudi Arabia. The assessment says that al Miqrin, who also goes by the name Abu Hajir, fought in Bosnia, smuggled weapons into Spain and Algeria and served as al-Qaidaâs liaison to the Salafist Group for Call and Combat, a radical Islamic group in Algeria.
| Next in the box. Hopefully he won't be there too long... |
Saudi authorities say they have made major strides toward eradicating al-Qaida since they launched their crackdown. Saudi security forces have arrested hundreds of suspected militants, killed a number of others in shootouts and uncovered secret caches containing tons of weapons and explosives. The crackdown also has averted a number of terrorist attacks on Saudi and Western targets, Saudi and U.S. officials say.
| But they haven't lopped off any heads, and they've tried to negotiate and bribe their way out of their predicament... |
Even so, al-Qaida operatives were able to follow up the May bombings, which killed 35 people, including nine attackers, with a suicide strike last month that claimed 17 lives. The continuing terrorist threat prompted U.S. officials to toughen security precautions last weekend, ordering U.S. diplomats to remain in their compounds in Riyadh and other cities for all but essential duties. Security also has been stepped up at other foreign missions and residential compounds where Westerners live.
Posted by: Dan Darling 2003-12-11 |
