Some troops have been withdrawn from the Kingdom's southern borders because they have completed their mission of purging the area of infiltrators and restoring peace, it was announced by Prince Khaled Bin Sultan, Assistant Minister of Defense for Military Affairs. Addressing the Third Battalion of King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz, he said the leadership appreciated their efforts to clear the region of enemies. “Your nation will never ever forget your sacrifices and brave stand in the face of the infiltrators. King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces and Crown Prince Sultan, Deputy Premier, Defense and Aviation Minister and Inspector General commend your sacrifices in the protection of your beloved country.” At a press conference, in response to a question, Prince Khaled said an evaluation had been carried out to determine whether a certain number of troops were still needed at the border. “After assessing the situation, we found that the armed forces stationed on the border had successfully completed their tasks. It was, therefore, natural for some of the units to return to their earlier positions. The remaining forces stationed on the border are capable of confronting and deterring any infiltrator who dares cross the Kingdom's border. In addition to this, there are other forces that support the Frontier Guard on the border. These forces can act [in the event of] any emergency along with the Frontier Guard.” “Things have returned to normal so the Frontier Guard have taken over, with the support of a few units from the armed forces. I would like to assure you that Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior will not spare any efforts in strengthening the positions of the Frontier Guard units on the border.” About the Kingdom's plans to conclude arms deals, he said “As you know, we always hear rumors and speculation about this matter. However, I want to confirm that King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces will spare no effort in securing what is needed for the armed forces. The armed forces are well-equipped and can fight any battle any time.” He also confirmed that the infiltrators have been driven back into villages on the Yemeni side of the border: “I told you that they were sent back.” He said this happened because of “Allah's blessing” and the action taken by the Kingdom's forces against the infiltrators, he added. Prince Khaled said the Kingdom's leadership is not concerned with what happens on the other side of the border. “What happens inside Yemen is an internal affair. The only thing we can do is to stand with our brothers in Yemen and their government. We only want the best for the brotherly Yemeni people. I also want to make it clear that anyone who crosses the Kingdom's borders, for so much as an inch, will be forced to return.” He said the Kingdom's army will force infiltrators to “think a hundred times” before embarking on “any adventure or think of coming back”. He added that a new body has been set up to look after the welfare of the families of martyrs. He said the new organization will care for every martyr, whether they “fell in the recent incidents on our southern borders, in the Kuwait liberation war … or defending the holy mosques”. This includes those who were martyred in the Palestine war in Syria and Jordan. “We will always care for them and look after their affairs because every individual in the armed forces and in Saudi society takes great pride in serving and caring for the families of martyrs.” He said the armed forces have been taking part in exercises for more than six years, in addition to overt and covert, annual, monthly and weekly exercises. Prince Khaled was accompanied on his inspection tour by Lt. Hussein Al-Qabeel, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, Lt. Gen. Abdul Rahman Al-Marshad, Commander of the Land Forces, Maj. Gen. Ali Bin Zeid Khawaji, Commander of the Southern region and a number of senior armed forces officers.
