Al Watan
Saudi Arabia needs to create a supreme authority to fight terrorism after a series of bloody
bombings targeting its mosques, says a local columnist. Abdul Rahman Al Wabli argues that
force alone is not enough to combat terror. The terrorists use intellectual techniques to attract
extremists and that indicates the need for intellectual campaigns to counter them. In an
article in the Saudi Arabic daily Al Watan he argues that Saudi Arabia’s failure to
uncover and prevent mosque attacks is due to the absence of a specialised counterterrorism
body entrusted with gathering intelligence and devising “comprehensive
strategies” to prevent terror attacks in the Gulf Kingdom and minimise losses from
terror activities. “I therefore propose the creation of a supreme authority to fight
extremism and terrorism. This authority must include military and civilian experts and
have extensive powers covering all sectors in the country.” It must also be “directly
supervised and headed by the Monarch or his crown prince. It should coordinate the
efforts of all departments in the Kingdom and send periodical instructions to those
departments so they can better perform their duties against terror. ”
