Frontier Guard forces are scheduled to complete on Saturday their training of rangers from the National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development (NCWCD). Firearms training is engaging 52 rangers in the Saja, Umm Al-Ramath and Mahazat Al-Sayd wildlife reserves. The training also offers classes in desert-rescue methods, navigation aid, and vehicle mechanics. The rangers are also receiving instruction from experts in environmental protection. An official from the NCWCD said the training is mostly of practical nature as most of the rangers' work is in the field. Prince Bandar Bin Saud, Secretary General of the NCWCD, announced earlier in the week that the rangers would be armed from the beginning of 2009 with Kalashnikov rifles and pistols. The weapons, he said, would be used only in extreme cases to protect the rangers from illegal hunters who have been known to attack park patrols. – Okaz __
