Special to WorldTribune.com
ABU DHABI — Saudi Arabia has sought to bolster security along its
1,600 kilometer border with Yemen.
Officials said the Saudi Interior Ministry has been directing a security
crackdown along the kingdom’s border with Yemen.
The officials said the effort included the capture of hundreds of infiltrators from Yemen, the reinforcement of Border Guard units as well as the deployment of reconnaissance equipment.
“The security presence along the border has been intensified to prevent
infiltrators,” Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Mansour Al Turki said. “But there are some difficult terrains which people use to enter the kingdom illegally.”
Al Turki said the protection of the Saudi border with Yemen has become a priority of Interior Minister Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef. The spokesman said a security panel was formed to recommend measures to stop infiltration from Yemen.
The ministry has bolstered the Border Guard to block the entry of arms
and drug smugglers from Yemen. In the Asir province, the Border Guard was said to have stopped more than 1,000 Yemeni illegals.
“An average of 180 intruders are arrested in the Asir region alone,” Al
Turki said during a southern tour on Feb. 26.
In all, Al Turki, said more than 1,000 infiltrators have been stopped by
the Border Guard. He said security forces were working with local tribes to
stop the Yemenis.
Officials said some of the infiltrators were believed to be Shi’ite
insurgents linked to Iran. They said the Shi’ites were assigned to relay
cash and weapons to colleagues in the Eastern Province, which has seen
rising unrest over the last 18 months.
“The security of the kingdom and its citizens is a red line nobody will
be allowed to violate or cross,” Asir Gov. Prince Faisal Bin Khaled said.
Saudi beefs up border security against illegal immigration from Yemen added by World Tribune on
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