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Saudis mobilize RDF as 2 million arrive for Haj
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SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Tuesday, January 2, 2007
ABU DHABI — The Saudi Interior Ministry has assembled a huge
rapid deployment force to secure the annual Islamic pilgrimage.
Officials said the force contained an air, land and sea component around
Mecca, where more than two million pilgrims, a record, gathered for the Haj
this week. They said the force was designed to track the movements of
the pilgrimage, ensure security and respond to any emergency, Middle East Newsline reported.
"We made plans to face possible torrential rains and flash floods
considering the geographic features of the region, particularly of the holy
sites," Civil Defense director Lt. Gen. Saad Bin Abdullah Al Tuwaijeri said.
In a Dec. 27 interview with the Arab News, Al Tuwaijeri cited assets
used by the rapid deployment force. He said the emergency response unit
deployed naval vessels, emergency vehicles and helicopters.
In Mecca, officials said, the force deployed 12 helicopters and more
than 3,300 vehicles. They said the unit consisted of 50,000 personnel.
The Interior Ministry has also facilitated the training of security
officers in crowd control. Officials said a Saudi contingent underwent
instruction in Germany on directing more than 100,000 people to and from a
soccer stadium.
"We'll apply what we have learned from Germany at Jamrat during this Haj
season," Fadhil Othman of the Haj Research Institute, who participated in
the Munich workshop, said.
Copyright © 2007 East West
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