Alwaght-Saudi Arabia is on alert for terrorist attacks after a general and two other soldiers were killed by a suicide bomber in the deadly assault along the country’s border with Iraq, the Guardian reported .
The interior ministry in Riyadh blamed “terrorist elements” for the incident early , but did not name any group, though it is thought likely to be ISIS terrorist group, which controls large areas of Iraq as well as Syria .
The ministry said in a statement that a border patrol at al-Suwaif, near the city of Arar, was fired on. Border guards returned fire and killed two of four attackers. But during attempts to persuade another two to surrender, one detonated an explosive belt and killed himself and three of the border guards – one of whom was the commander of northern border forces, General Oudah al-Belawi .
The attack came amid uncertainty in Riyadh over news that King Abdullah, who is thought to be 91, has been in hospital with pneumonia. The next in line to the throne, Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, is in his late 70s and also said to be in poor health .
On Sunday, an Iraqi spokesman said Iraqi forces had driven off an Isis attack on a police post near the Saudi border. It was unclear if the two incidents were linked .
Saudi regime is notorious for founding and founding terrorist groups all over the world as its proxies. several thousand of its nationals have fought in Syria and Iraq, many encouraged by extremist clerics. It has boosted security on its 500-mile border with Iraq in July, deploying thousands of troops to back up border guards fearing to burn in fire it had set in Syria and Iraq.
Salman offered assurances at a cabinet meeting on Monday about the health of the king, the state news agency SPA said. The royal court said last week that the king had pneumonia and temporarily needed a breathing aid. Regarding struggles in al Saud family over seizing the crown and deep public dissatisfaction, Abdullah's death may led to crisis in the country. Something that US is afraid of considering that turmoil in world's top oil exporter state would result in meaningful rise in oil price that will hamper west's policy to put Iran and Russia under the pressure.
