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Riyadh plan to defend oilfields from Al-Qaeda

Anxieties about Al-Qaeda attacks and a U.S.-led war against Iran have prompted Saudi Arabia to establish a special force — being trained by an American defence contractor — to protect its oilfields. Saudi authorities have already recruited 5,000 members of the Facilities Security Force and plan to raise the number to 8,000-10,000 over the next two years, in a project being run by the Lockheed Martin Corporation, officials confirmed.

Nervousness has been growing recently about the impact of attacks by Al-Qaeda-related groups and possible retaliation by Iran in the event of U.S. or Israeli strikes on its nuclear installations.

Saudi Arabia is the world’s largest oil producer and home to 25 per cent of its proven reserves. It has more than 80 oil and gas fields and 17,600 km of pipeline.

The plan to set up a force that will eventually number 35,000 to guard oil and other installations was announced in July by Interior Minister.

The Middle East Economic Survey reported: “The scale of the latest security initiative is immense and several years are likely to elapse until the new force is fully capable.” The cost was likely to reach $5 billion, it said. According to MEES, recruits are being trained in the use of laser security and satellite imaging surveillance equipment, countermeasures and crisis management under a programme managed by Lockheed Martin. Members of the force are being heavily vetted and largely recruited from outside the Saudi security forces. Protection of oil facilities is now the responsibility of a 15,000-strong force run by Aramco, the state oil corporation. — © Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2007

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