Editorial: KSA’s resolute stand against Syria terror

The Kingdom's determination to destroy terrorism has once again been made abundantly clear. An army spokesman has revealed the country is ready to play its part in Syrian ground operations against Daesh. This is a highly significant development in political and military terms. It demonstrates that Saudi Arabia is prepared to project its military power in a new way.
In Yemen, the Saudi-led coalition has come to the defense of a neighboring state menaced by an Iranian-backed terror campaign. The willingness to join a US-led ground war in Syria displays a wider determination to confront terror beyond a neighboring country.
Daesh has to be exterminated. Its terror cells here in the Kingdom are being broken up. The security forces are responding aggressively to terrorist bombings. Each new outrage intensifies the dragnet for the hidden killers. Heightened vigilance and a massive intelligence operation make terrorist activity increasingly difficult. But Daesh will not be destroyed until it is hunted down in its Syrian lair.
Saudi war planes have been part of the US-led coalition against Daesh in Iraq and Syria. International airstrikes have supported the Iraqi army and the Kurdish Peshmerga forces in driving the terrorists back from seized territory.
Air power has seriously degraded Daesh. The financial significance of the oilfields they occupy was probably exaggerated. But coalition war planes have put paid to that source of income. The terrorists captured hundreds of armored vehicles and artillery pieces from the Iraqi army. They also took huge quantities of ammunition. Airstrikes have dealt with much of this plunder. Convoys of terrorist vehicles are now virtually impossible. Men and supplies must be moved a little at a time. Daesh camps have been disbanded. The terrorists now hide themselves among the locals. They are perfectly prepared to use this imprisoned population as a human shield.
It was always inevitable that the final stage in the elimination of Daesh was going to involve ground troops. Throughout Syria’s five-year tragedy, President Obama’s reluctance to intervene has helped foster the terrorists which in turn were fostered by the Assad government in Damascus. In the closing months of his presidency, Obama is reviewing his caution about involvement in a ground war. The White House has accepted that US special forces are required. Some have already been sent.
The willingness of the Kingdom to commit forces to US-led ground operations, has been mirrored by the United Arab Emirates. Acting within the UN mandate to destroy Daesh, Saudi troops will join those of other nations dedicated to the extermination of this menace.
Some in Washington have in the past been critical of the contribution that Arab states have been making to the struggle against terror. The Kingdom’s commitment however could never have been doubted. It has been in the frontline of the fight against Al-Qaeda and now of Daesh. Obama will have listened carefully when Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman visited Washington last September. There is widespread Saudi concern that Iran is not to be trusted despite its promises over its nuclear program. There has been despair at the opportunities Obama missed to intervene decisively to put an end to the Assad regime.
What was once a binary conflict, Assad trying to crush his angry and disaffected people, has become multifaceted. The solutions are no longer simple. Russian intervention has strengthened Assad’s troops. Moscow wants to keep its only Mediterranean naval base at Tartus and its large air base at Latakia.
It is therefore highly significant that the Kingdom is once more showing the way against terrorism. Daesh will only be crushed by resolute ground operations. Saudi troops have shown their mettle in the battles against Houthi terrorists in Yemen. Now, with our UAE allies, we are ready to deploy battle-hardened troops in Syria.
The Assad government has of course deplored the idea of foreign ground forces. Despite the horrors that the terrorists are inflicting on Assad’s fellow Syrians, Assad needs Daesh. It is his deadly pet snake. He encourages it to attack his enemies, the Free Syrian Army. He also believes that it distracts the international community from dealing with him and his war crimes. In this he is much mistaken. Once his favorite serpent has been killed, the focus will turn to him.