Prince Miteb bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, Minister of National Guard, today denied foreign media reports speaking about the presence of Egyptian and Pakistani forces in the northern part of the Kingdom. In response to a question by a reporter, Prince Miteb bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz said while inspecting the National Guard units in the Northern Border region, that such reports are not correct as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has the ability to defend its territories. However, this is a chance to express our pleasure of the distinguished relations binding the Kingdom with each of Egypt and Pakistan, he added. He vowed that the enumeration of military service personnel in the Kingdom amounted to 27 million, in reference to that all the Saudi people, according to the latest census, be them civilians or military service men, are ready to defend the country, citing a recent speech by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in which he said that if it came to defense of the country, the King would be the first to fight. Commenting on the terrorist threats from some circles against the Kingdom, the National Guard minister said "it is better for them not to come nearer to the Saudi border" as, if they opted to do so, they would really suffer. Asked whether there is a plan to locate a brigade from the National Guard in the Northern Border Region, he said the National Guard has no specific station as it is ready to come up with its duty whenever and wherever it was called for.
