Terrorism Special Security Forces will have a presence of some 4,000 officers and 385 military vehicles to ensure security in Makkah and Madina during this year's Haj pilgrimage. Special Security Forces chief Muhammad Al-Omani said the Anti-Terrorism officers and their operations during the pilgrimage would be overseen by Prince Muhammad Bin Naif, Assistant Minister of Interior for Security Affairs, and that they are at the ready position to perform their tasks. “The Special Forces are in full readiness to implement the Haj security plan certified by Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior,” Al-Omani told Okaz/Saudi Gazette. “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.” Saudi Special Forces have received considerable praise in recent years for their operations in various parts of the Kingdom, with one specialist in anti-terrorism saying that “one Special Forces officer equals ten of his counterparts in other countries, having developed high security skills through training enabling him to adapt to all circumstances he may face when confronting terrorism and those who belong to that group”. 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,” he said. “They have included anti-terrorism simulations, demonstrations, crowd dispersion, counter-explosives, and all other Special Forces-related scenarios.” “All our men have a huge sense of national responsibility and great capabilities, like their colleagues in the other security sectors, and know how to carry out what is required of them in each circumstance,” he said. “This is due to the limitless support we have from Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, and Deputy Minister of Interior Prince Ahmad Bin Abdul Aziz, and the supervision of Prince Muhammad Bin Naif, Assistant Minister of Interior for Security Affairs, who has spent every waking moment working to improve the forces in the service of the religion, the King and the nation.”
