Saudi deploys 4,000 anti-terror agents for Haj

Saudi Arabia is deploying a 4,000-strong anti-terrorism squad to ensure security during the upcoming Haj (pilgrimage), which is expected to attract nearly two million Muslims, Saudi newspapers reported on Saturday.

The force will be backed by around 385 military vehicles to be deployed in the holy cities of Mecca and Madina during the pilgrimage, which is expected to start around mid November, the papers said.

“The Special Forces are in full readiness to implement the Haj security plan,” they quoted Special Security Forces chief Muhammad Al Omani as saying.

“The plan sets out the tasks of the Special Forces in support operations for internal security sectors through pilgrim crowd control and any emergency missions ordered, as well as their main missions.”

Al Omani said his forces were ready for “anything that could happen” in this year’s pilgrimage. “We have conducted numerous simulation exercises of various types in preparation for possible scenarios in Haj under conditions as close as possible to the real thing…they included anti-terrorism simulations, demonstrations, crowd dispersion, counter-explosives, and all other Special Forces-related scenarios.”