Saudi Attacks Underline Growing Jihadist Challenge
| Publisher | Jamestown Foundation |
| Author | James Brandon |
| Publication Date | 9 January 2015 |
| Cite as | Jamestown Foundation, Saudi Attacks Underline Growing Jihadist Challenge, 9 January 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/54b78a644.html [accessed 31 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry said on January 5 that three border guards had been killed in clashes with four attackers near the Iraqi border, close to the town of Arar (Arab News, January 6). A ministry spokesman said that the gunmen attacked and killed two border guards, sparking a fatal shoot-out. When one of the surviving attackers offered to surrender, a senior Saudi officer approached, at which point the militant detonated an explosive belt killing himself and the officer. The attackers, who were all killed during the clash, are believed to have infiltrated from Iraq; their identities are not yet clear.
The attack, the latest in a series of incidents in the kingdom in recent months, underlines that the country is likely to face continuing jihadist pressure throughout the coming year. In the closing months of 2014, Saudi Arabia was hit by a number of small-scale terrorist attacks. These included a shooting attack in the capital Riyadh which wounded a Danish citizen in November. The Saudi government later arrested suspects over the attack, who it said were linked to the Islamic State organization (The National [Abu Dhabi], November 22, 2014). The Saudi government has, however, responded strongly to the uptick in militancy; for instance, on December 7, it announced the arrest of 135 terrorist suspects, including both Saudi nationals and foreigners (al-Arabiya, December 7, 2014).
At the same time, Saudi Arabia is also facing a range of other challenges that are liable to distract the country's leadership from the growing Islamic State-inspired terrorism problem. Most notably, the country has refused to unilaterally cut oil production in order to support global oil prices, leading to the oil price hitting multi-year lows. Mainly aimed at defending market share and crushing higher-cost shale producers, the move is also hitting the revenues of Saudi Arabia's allies, such as Bahrain and Kuwait, as well as its opponents like Iran and Iraq, potentially increasing regional political tensions.
Moreover, within the kingdom, tensions with the country's Shi'a minority remain high, particularly in eastern parts of the country. On December 28, thousands of Shi'as in the town of Awamia attended the funeral of a Shi'a activist who had been killed by the security forces, underlining the significant and persistent Shi'a grievances in the area (Press TV [Tehran], December 28). Adding to the problems facing the government, the country's ruler King Abdullah was hospitalized with pneumonia and a suspected lung infection on December 31. Although Crown Prince Salman said on January 6 that the king was recovering well, Abdullah's illness and evident poor health has revived speculation over who will succeed the 90-year-old monarch, casting further doubt over the Kingdom's medium-term stability (Arab News, January 6).
Link to original story on Jamestown website
