DAMMAM, 15 May 2003 — Monday night’s suicide bombings in Riyadh recalled the June explosions in 1996 in Alkhobar in which 19 American soldiers were killed and more than 500 injured. On that humid night, the people of the Eastern Province went through similar experiences to what the people of Riyadh must be going through.
The explosion at Alkhobar Tower (Iskan) happened after 10.30 in the night. Most of the residents had gone to bed and were jolted awake by the explosion. What was left in the aftermath of the explosion was just a heap of rubble. The multistory building was literally rent asunder from top to bottom. The whole structure was eventually demolished and today there stands a park.
The residents of Alkhobar Iskan still shudder when they recall the experience of that night. “It was after 10 on that fateful night... I had just finished my Isha prayers when a loud explosion shook the whole area and the skylines lit up with a peculiar blue light. Our window glasses were shattered and one of the window air-conditioners came out of its hold,” recalls Muhammad Al-Salem, a resident who lived just 100 yards away from the epicenter of the attack.
The Alkhobar explosion affected structures in a 5 km radius. Structures as far as Alkhobar Corniche were affected by the blast.
The morning brought shock and dismay and revealed the extent of the devastation. The whole city was turned into a virtual emergency zone. There was not a single hospital, private and government, which was not treating the injured. Eastern Province Governor Prince Muhammad ibn Fahd went from one hospital to another comforting victims and assuring them of his total support. He was the embodiment of anger and dismay.
In his immediate comments after the Riyadh attack, Prince Muhammad once again condemned the attack and said it was irreconcilable with Islamic values, echoing what Crown Prince Abdullah said in his broadcast to the nation on Tuesday.
Terrorism certainly is not a new phenomenon in Saudi Arabia. The country has been a victim of terrorism since the 1960s. The Western world woke up to this reality only when it hit them too, especially after Sept. 11, 2001.
Saudi Arabia, by contrast, has been fighting terrorism for many years in different shapes.
It was shocking to hear Fox News report that the country never allowed foreign agencies to investigate terrorism in the country. In fact, Saudi Arabia welcomed the FBI after the Alkhobar bomb, and it was the FBI which, with the cooperation of local security, was able to solve the case and identify the attackers.
Saudi Arabia has always given its full support to the fight against terrorism. The country knows the pain and agony of such barbaric and unmindful acts and will continue to fight this menace till it has been completely eradicated.
