<%@LANGUAGE="VBSCRIPT" CODEPAGE="1252"%> WorldTribune.com: Mobile Ñ Saudis set up 'killing zone' along Yemen border

Saudis set up 'killing zone' along Yemen border

Tuesday, November 10, 2009   E-Mail this story   Free Headline Alerts

ABU DHABI Ñ Saudi Arabia has established a no-go zone that is off-limits to all civilians along its border with Yemen.

Officials said the Arab kingdom set up the zone 10 kilometers wide along the Yemeni border. They said the Saudi military has deployed thousands of troops to block infiltrators from Yemen.

"The kingdom has one red line, protecting national sovereignty," Saudi Deputy Defense Minister Prince Khaled Bin Sultan said.

"Those who enter the area extending from the border for more than 10 kilometers will be in a killing zone," Khaled said. "In another words they have to either surrender or face destruction."

On Nov. 8, Sultan toured part of the 1,500-kilometer Saudi-Yemeni border, the scene of heavy clashes over the last week. He said suspicious people found in the no-go zone would be killed.

Officials said the entire border area has been closed to civilians. They said Believing Youth was sending Shi'ite operatives to Saudi Arabia as part of the rebel movement's attempt to widen the war against the regime of YemeniPresident Ali Abdullah Saleh.

"It is our duty to deal with this rash and irresponsible action and put an end to this tragedy," Khaled said. "Our soldiers have taught the evil aggressors a lesson they will never forget. They have fought well and outsmarted the enemy using the latest military techniques, which the brazen rebels did not expect."

The Royal Saudi Air Force has used its fleet of combat aircraft to target and strike Shi'ite rebels in Yemen and Saudi Arabia. Officials cited missions by the U.S.-origin F-15 and British-origin Tornado aircraft as well as mobile artillery units.

"There is a clear instruction from Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, the commander in chief, that we should not step even an inch into another country and we should not allow anybody to encroach even an inch into our territory," Khaled said.

Officials said the Saudi Border Guards would remain in control of the border with Yemen. They said Riyad has not been planning to turn parts of the border region into a military zone.

"When we understand that the border guards are enough to [protect the area], we'll just stand by behind them," Khaled said. "However, we'll be ready to intervene at any time."

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