Saudi king orders all measures to protect kingdom from Iraq jihadists




 Written by : Mohamed Abdel Fattah

Jun 26, 2014

 Saudi king Abdullah bin Abdulaziz ordered on Thursday “all steps” be taken to safeguard kingdom from jihadists battling the government in neighbouring Iraq.

The Saudi Royal Court issued the following statement:

“Concerned for the national security of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia against any measures that terrorist organizations or any other groups might resort to . . .Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has ordered all necessary measures to protect the gains of the homeland and its stability, and the security of the Saudi people.”

The announcement comes days after militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) seized the border crossing from Iraq into Jordan, which also neighbours the kingdom, as they press an offensive in Iraq.

Saudi Arabia is one of several countries bordering Iraq, where the Shiite-led government of Nouri al-Maliki is facing a growing Sunni insurgency spurred by what critics of the Iraqi leader say are his sectarian policies.

US Secretary of State, John Kerry , announced that he will visit Saudi Arabia on Friday. During his visit, Kerry will meet with King Abdullah and the two will discuss the situations in Iraq and Syria.

The United States and Saudi Arabia have both been alarmed by the success of ISIL after its jihadists captured swathes of northern Iraq alongside an amalgam of Sunni tribal and Islamist militias and members of the former ruling Baath party.

Saudi officials have said the "sectarian" policies of Baghdad's Shiite-led government are to blame for the takeover by Sunni insurgents of key cities and large swathes of the country.

Sources

Al .Alarabiya.

aawsat.net

news.yahoo

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