THE considerable satisfaction that everyone in the Kingdom must feel at the slaying of another of the most wanted terrorists must be tempered by the knowledge that five members of the security forces gave their lives during the operation. Their senseless murder while they did their duty protecting the public underlines the great evil with which society as a whole is still confronted. Therefore as we congratulate the forces of law and order for notching up another triumph, our hearts must go out to the families and the colleagues of five dead policemen.
Mohammed Abdul Rahman Al-Suwailmi was No. 7 on the list of the 36 most wanted terrorists. His capture near Buraida, capital of Qassim province, was undoubtedly another considerable blow to Al-Qaeda’s terror network in Saudi Arabia and his subsequent death from his wounds may have been a relief to his fellow terrorists. The war against Al-Qaeda is being won by intelligence, much of it gained from captured terrorists. The knowledge that the authorities take a generous view of terrrorists who recant has undermined the determination of some of the most hardened terrorists. The suspect who escaped when Suwailmi was being captured may yet lead the latest police dragnet to other members of his terror cell, as once more Al-Qaeda’s adherents in the Kingdom find themselves on the run.
No one, however, should be under the slightest illusion that the serpent of terror is close to being slain in the Kingdom. Encouraging though each police success may be, the struggle is going to be a long and difficult one. From each defeat they suffer, the terrorists will draw lessons. Their cell structure means that there are only a few senior individuals in a position to know more than what is happening in a particular team of criminals. Terrorists, meanwhile, always enjoy the advantage of choosing when and where to strike next and knowing when and where that strike will be.
Set against this, however, are the markedly improved capabilities of the Saudi security forces. Every terror attack and every terrorist lair uncovered throw up a wealth of complex new forensic and other intelligence. It is by assembling and analyzing the volumes of data that important intelligence breakthroughs are made.
At the same time, the role of the public remains crucial in the war on terror. The killers must be finding it ever harder to hide in areas where they are known and might once have found sympathizers. Instead they must seek out the relative anonymity of urban areas. It is up to everyone — Saudi and expatriate — to keep his or her eyes open and report any suspicious behavior to the police.
The war against terror is, after all, everybody’s fight. The struggle cannot be left to the security forces. Almost one hundred innocent civilians and over 50 security personnel have now perished at the hands of terrorists. Each one of us owes it to their memories and their courage to do our small part as well.
