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| Arabia |
| Saudi king sez al-Qaeda defeated |
| 2006-06-08 |
| A violent campaign by al Qaeda militants fighting U.S.-allied Saudi Arabia has been defeated, King Abdullah was quoted as saying by Saudi newspapers published on Wednesday. "I can assure you that your country is well and the evil-doers are, thank God, defeated," the king said at his royal court before a delegation of visiting government officials on Tuesday. "We say that they are finished now. As we have said before, we would drive them back whether it takes 20 years or more, but, God willing, they already have been," he said in comments carried by al-Riyadh daily. Islamist activists allied to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda group have been waging a violent campaign aimed at toppling the U.S.-backed monarchy, which is also the world's biggest oil exporter, and expelling Westerners. Officials say about 144 foreigners and Saudis, including security forces, and 120 militants have died in attacks and clashes with police since May 2003, when al Qaeda suicide bombers hit three Western housing compounds in Riyadh. In February they tried to attack the world's largest oil processing plant at Abqaiq, but analysts say that in the face of tough Saudi security policies backed by Western intelligence agencies, the campaign has run out of steam for the moment. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #9 When Saudi Arabia becomes a tolerant beacon of human rights, when it becomes legal in Saudi Arabia to be gay or to vote and drive a car if you're a woman. The sun will be red and expanding at 20 miles a day. |
| Posted by: 6 2006-06-08 17:14 |
| #8 OregonGuy, it won't make a jot of difference if we get 'concessions' or some help from the Saudis now because they feel pressured or even if a few of them want to stem terrorism. Terrorism is the symptom of the disease and the disease is cultural and religious. So we lose if we defeat terrorism yet they keep the madrassahs and imams and Islamofascist dream alive. Because terrorism will just pop up again in the next generation as soon as the threat of overwhelming force disappears. We will only have won when their culture changes. And the measure of that success is when Saudi Arabia opens up, when it becomes illegal within Saudi Arabia to slag off other religions. When Saudi Arabia becomes a tolerant beacon of human rights, when it becomes legal in Saudi Arabia to be gay or to vote and drive a car if you're a woman. Because their culture cannot live in harmony with ours and the Imams do not want to live and let live separate but different because the temptations of a successful and free society usually tempt the Ummah away. So they have to fight and kill us to keep it together. |
| Posted by: Anon1 2006-06-08 11:06 |
| #7 don't you think that's a better spoonful than vinegar Nope. |
| Posted by: Admiral Allan Ackbar 2006-06-08 06:57 |
| #6 Colicky children with $50 billion in cash and an insane invisible friend. |
| Posted by: 6 2006-06-08 06:45 |
| #5 Hey...just think. Our prez is walking hand in hand with the foreign minister of SA. For some reason, this is a bad thing. If you're on the Left, it shows complicity with Corrupt Islam. If you're on the Right, it shows complicity with Corrupt Islam. So, basically, if you disagree with the transformation taking place in SA, you're a Lefty or a Righty. What if you take a longer view? Let us say that your president has been working with the House of Saud in order to change fundamentally the actions of Sunni muslims. Do you expect changes to occur overnight? Do you expect Lefties in the US to adhere to the truth overnight? Do you expect the Righties to have patience overnight? The cool thing about being an American is, you never have to wait to find out if you're right in your opinions or not. If anything takes any time, anything at all, then whatever your solution, you're wrong. Now! Now! Rant! No need for patience. The House of Saud has taken real, concrete steps to deal with Islamic terror. There's a very good chance that it will be collaboration with the House of Saud that helps us deal with the new Somali problem. I believe that there are serious muslims involved with trying to stem the tide of terrorism in the world. From the Saudis and Sunnis I know, I believe they are working with us. But it isn't going to be a NOW NOW kind of deal. But it is real, it is palpable. If you can't do the math on the number of bad guys the Saudis have helped us deal with...then, what the hell is math for? There are times when I wonder if you have children. Especially difficult children. Like, colicky children. They're testers. But, it's just one child. Imagine trying to change the colicky behaviour of millions. When you finally find a parent with the patience to help change the behaviour, why do you heap condemnation instead of praise? Will there be lapses? Will there be mistaikes? Of course there will. But if we recognize the changes as they take place, and say thank you, don't you think that's a better spoonful than vinegar? |
| Posted by: OregonGuy 2006-06-08 02:06 |
| #4 Sorry King thing as long as a Saud is alive AQ will be alive because the House of Saud pays AQ's frieght and spreads the message that allows AQ to exist and grow. Salafism and Whabbism are the part and parcel of the problem. You and your princelings pay the way for all of that and more. I ain't buying what you are selling. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2006-06-08 01:11 |
| #3 The Al Qaeda campaign running out of steam for the moment and being defeated are not the same thing. Reminds me of the many previous Saudi reports of having the terrorists "surrounded". Or as the Religious Policeman once mocked: "Tho' many be surrounded, and the surrounding be complete, all shall escape but the one with bad feet". |
| Posted by: GK 2006-06-08 01:06 |
| #2 "Go back to sleep" Soddy kingling sez. Well, I'll pass. Because few al-Qaeda hotheads got splashed, it does not mean that the infiltration of Soddy police and security forces by al-Qaeda is not going on apace. |
| Posted by: zazz 2006-06-08 00:41 |
| #1 Translation: Whatever concession that the Salafist militants were seeking was granted by the relatively more moderate Saudi princes. |
| Posted by: 11A5S 2006-06-08 00:40 |