The attack by the elite special forces unit to end the Alkhobar terrorist attack undoubtedly saved further bloodshed. Quick action had to be taken and was taken. In tense hostage situations like this there is always a high level of risk. Nothing can be guaranteed. But there are lessons to be learned. It is regrettable that three of the terrorists managed to escape and only their leader, who had been injured, was apprehended.
A security cordon had been thrown around the Oasis Compound, but the terrorists were able to break through this barrier. Perhaps the problem was that the personnel manning it were overly intent on stopping anyone from approaching the crime scene and also the positions of the buildings and villas could have made a fool-proof cordon next to impossible. It must now be hoped that the dragnet thrown out for these ruthless killers and their accomplices will soon bring them to justice. They must not be allowed to slink back to their hiding places and plan their next attack.
A review of the operation is needed if we want to learn from what was only a partial success. We will have to look at every aspect of the operation — security before, during and after the attacks, the helicopter landing, the attempts to stop the killers at any point during their extended spree of violence throughout the day and the night.
The security forces face a steep learning curve, so some of the criticism that has been leveled at them is simply unfair. It is important to remember that all countries, in particular European states, have had to evolve effective techniques for counterterrorist operations through painful trial and error. Saudi Arabia should not be too proud to learn from the experience of countries who have gained their expertise the hard way. None of these countries claim to know it all; neither should we, when the Kingdom is working hard to grapple with the relatively new threat of terror?
The men who risked their lives to free the hostages do not deserve our criticism. They did their best. But the tactics of the terrorists are shifting. This was not an attack on Westerners so much as an attack on the Kingdom’s economy, and with it the well-being and prosperity of everyone who lives here. But if it is the economy they are targeting, it is the economy that the Kingdom must protect and defend.
The grim reality is that this is unlikely to be the last attack and worse could follow. But this handful of fanatics will not be allowed to hold the country to ransom. We must remain both calm and vigilant. The best way to do this is to study with redoubled attention the way the terrorists operate and look at everything that has been done anywhere in similar situations to stop them. If mistakes were made, we must learn from them. That is the way forward.
