THE siege is over. The security forces deserve the heartfelt thanks of the whole country for dealing with another group of brainwashed devotees to Al-Qaeda’s death cult who, if they had not been stopped in Dammam, would certainly have brought terror and destruction on a massive scale to somewhere or other in Saudi Arabia. We all need to be thankful because everyone in this country — Saudi, expatriate, Muslim, non-Muslim, rich, poor, male, female, old, young — is a potential victim. The terrorists do not care who they kill. That has been evident throughout their campaign of shootings and bombings.
It took three days before the building in which the extremists had holed up in could be stormed. It could have been earlier had those in charge thrown caution to the wind and everything in their armory at the building. But that would have caused great damage to the area. More importantly, it would have robbed the security forces of the best weapon they have in defeating these deviants — intelligence. It is information, gleaned from a variety of sources — from a shocked and sickened public, from the interrogation of suspects, from high-tech eavesdropping — that has helped the authorities to slowly gain the upper hand in the war against Al-Qaeda’s followers in the Kingdom.
Intelligence is the key to winning the war. That is keenly understood by the security forces. Comments during the siege by the Interior Ministry’s spokesman on security matters, Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki show exactly what the strategy is. The objective, he said, was to capture as many of the terrorists alive as possible so that they could give further information on what their friends might be planning. It is a strategy that works. So far, all the signs are that once these dangerously impressionable young men are captured, they sing like the proverbial canaries.
Despite the seriousness of this incident, it needs however to be put in perspective. There is a sense across the country that the war against Al-Qaeda here is not only being vigorously pursued but also being slowly won. That can be seen in growing confidence, particularly among Western expatriates, compared to a year ago. No one is so naive as to assume that the war is over or that there may not be another incident, but the general assessment is that the terrorists are on the run — and running out of hiding places.
There is, of course, the other story that this incident tells — the story that Saudi Arabia tells repeatedly but some do not choose to hear — that in the international war against terrorism, Saudi Arabia is itself a prime target and prime victim. The fact that many choose to be deaf and blind to that will not, however, deter either the authorities or ordinary Saudi citizens or the expatriates living and working in the Kingdom from a fundamental commitment to see this evil eradicated.
The lesson of this week’s events in Dammam is that the militants will not win, will never be allowed to win and will be crushed. The country is determined on the eradication of the scourge in its midst.
