The Khobar Towers are a residential building area, but when they were bombed and the main reason they were bombed, was that they were full of American Soldiers. I would never....NEVER....stay here if I was living in a small compound, one of those that are the size of about an Apartment compound. My compound is like a town. 10,000 employees with their families. I feel pretty safe here, although it is still makes me anxious. glad to hear your dad is alright.
I'm pretty sure Ive been to most of the compounds around Khobar/Dehran... My favourite place to go was Rastanura, It was like I was right back in Houston Texas.
It used to be known as "RT" when we used to travel there for baseball games. I used to live in Rezayat Village, down the street from Souks Supermarket, and the Taco Bell/Wendys/Pizza Hut food court.
You really have to wait till the end of June to get out? If it was me, I'd be begging to get the hell out of there now. We need you for pbp, you better not get hurt. You'll be alright dude, just think positive thoughts (but just the same, like I said, get the hell out of there).
Damn Ups! I didnt even know you were back in Saudi again. Get the hell out...and if ya cant...stay alert and stay safe...we would miss ya in chat..
Be careful and get out, Uprising. This is from CNN... The U.S. Embassy in Riyadh advised all American citizens to leave Saudi Arabia, officials said. http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/05/29/saudi.shooting/index.html Good luck and be safe.
<a HREF="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3761263.stm">Saudi troops raid hostage compound</a> Expect more of this type of violence.
Good News, Hostages rescued http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=578&e=1&u=/nm/20040530/ts_nm/security_saudi_dc Saudis Rescue Hostages in Khobar, Arrest Militants 46 minutes ago Add Top Stories - Reuters to My Yahoo! By Samia Nakhoul KHOBAR, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - Saudi commandos stormed a residential complex on Sunday to rescue most of some 50 foreigners held hostage by suspected al Qaeda militants who killed 16 people in an assault on Saudi Arabia's oil industry. _ Saudi forces arrested the leader of the militant group and other gunmen in the raid to end a more than 24-hour drama in the eastern oil city of Khobar in Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest crude exporter. Two militants were killed during the rescue operation, security sources said. Saudi security officials flashed victory signs as scores of residents and hostages streamed out of the compound, heading for hospitals and hotels. Oil markets were already on edge over the possibility of a militant strike in Saudi, and prices seemed likely to soar beyond $40 a barrel when the markets reopen on Tuesday after a long weekend holiday. "Most hostages have been released. Seven have been evacuated to a hotel and others are still with security forces ahead of their evacuation," a police official told Reuters. It was not immediately clear if any hostages were killed in the standoff, which began on Saturday after the militants killed the 16. There were unconfirmed reports in Khobar that at least one hostage may have been killed. "We have captured the leader of the group and...other militants armed with guns," a security officer said after leaving the Oasis compound where the mainly Western hostages were held. The hostage-taking was a new twist in the kingdom's year-long fight against followers of Saudi-born Osama bin Laden (news - web sites)'s al Qaeda network. The Saudi ambassador to Washington told Fox News seven Americans were among the freed hostages. In the second major attack on the oil industry in less than a month, the militants on Saturday sprayed gunfire at Western oil firms and housing compounds. Nine Saudis and seven foreigners were killed before the militants fled to the vast, luxury Oasis complex. Security sources earlier said the militants, armed with grenades and machineguns, had rigged the building where the hostages were held with explosives. SAUDI TO GUARD OIL SECTOR Saudi Arabia vowed on Sunday to remain on high alert at all its oil facilities and said the kingdom's vast energy network was running as normal following the Khobar attack. Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi was due to meet with top Western oil executives in the nearby city of Dhahran later on Sunday to reassure them about security. One Western executive said he did not expect a mass exodus of expatriate oil workers. An American, a Briton, an Egyptian, two Filipinos, an Indian and a Pakistani were killed in the attack, along with two Saudis and seven security force members, security sources said. A statement purportedly from al Qaeda was posted on Islamist Internet sites claiming responsibility for the attack, the third on foreigners in less than a month in the birthplace of Islam. A British manager at oil investment firm Apicorp was among the dead, the company said. _ Witnesses had said militants tied the body of the Briton, one of three employees of Arab oil firm Apicorp killed, to a car and dragged it down the streets before dumping it near a bridge. Earlier this month the body of an American was dragged through the streets when militants killed five foreigners in an attack on a petrochemical site in the Red Sea town of Yanbu. AL QAEDA VOW Al Qaeda has vowed to destabilize the country. In 1996, the then little known group chose Khobar to mount one of its first major attacks, killing 19 U.S. soldiers at a compound. Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Abdullah, vowed to crush the militants. "(The militants) want to harm the economy and foreigners," he said. "We will continue to chase this deviant group until we eradicate them." Saturday's attack prompted Washington to reiterate a call for its citizens to leave Saudi Arabia. Britain repeated a warning to avoid all but essential travel to the kingdom. The attackers had opened fire at the Al-Khobar Petroleum Center building, believed to house offices of major Western oil firms, before storming into compounds containing oil services offices and homes of employees, the security sources said. Witnesses said the attackers, in military uniforms, drove cars with military markings into the Apicorp complex and opened fire.An Egyptian boy was killed when a school bus came under fire. They then went into two other compounds, including Oasis. Employees of Shell, Honeywell and General Electric lived in one of the compounds. The Oasis residence has housed executives from leading oil firms Royal Dutch/Shell, Total and LUKOIL . The attack occurred two days after a top al Qaeda leader, Abdulaziz al-Muqrin, issued plans for urban guerrilla warfare in the kingdom designed to topple the royal family Good News i guess...
Yep, I am glad it's over. But we have no idea how many of the hostages are still alive. The authorities aren't disclosing any information on number dead etc. The rescue was done in dramatic fashion. I watched it on tv this morning. They used a chopper, which looked like a chinook helicopter. the Saudi special forces jumped from the back of the chopper onto the roof of the multi purpose building. Sad thing is, most of the hostages must be wifes of men who were already off at work.
Damn man. That's messed up. Just keep collecting your paycheck and watch your ******* back. Stay safe dude.
Thanks man, will do. i don't know for sure how much longer we are going to stay. We are talking about the possibility to leave. We have a lot of furniture etc here. I am looking into getting a crate or two to ship back our stuff to Tx. Stability here is becoming a question. From the Warden at the consulate: telling us to get the hell out of here.... Embassy of the United States of America Riyadh, Saudi Arabia WARDEN MESSAGE May 29, 2004 The U.S. Mission in Saudi Arabia wishes to advise the American community that on the morning of May 29, 2004, terrorist attacks were carried out against at least three Western targets in the city of Al Khobar. Foreign Nationals, including Westerners, and Saudi citizens were killed in the attacks. In light of the terrorist attack in Yanbu on May 1, 2004, and this latest attack in Al Khobar, the Embassy reiterates its previous warning strongly urging American citizens to depart the country. American personnel at the Embassy in Riyadh have been advised not to leave the Diplomatic Quarter until further notice and the movement of American personnel at the Consulates in Dhahran and Jeddah has been similarly restricted. The Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate in Jeddah will remain open for normal business. The Consulate in Dhahran will be closed to the public through May 30. American citizens requiring assistance from the Embassy or its Consulates in Dhahran or Jeddah may contact a consular official during normal working hours, Saturday through Wednesday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, at the following numbers:
