(MENAFN- Arab Times) The spokesman for Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry says some 100,000 security personnel have been deployed to oversee the annual Islamic Hajj pilgrimage that begins on Tuesday. Maj Gen Mansour al-Turki says among those securing the massive crowds during Hajj are members of an elite counterterrorism unit, traffic police and emergency civil defense personnel. They are being supported by additional troops from the army and national guard.
The pilgrimage comes as Saudi Arabia faces an expansion of Islamic State group attacks that have killed dozens of people this year. Al-Turki vowed in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press on Saturday that militants "cannot control a centimeter anywhere in Saudi Arabia." The Hajj is expected to draw up to 3 million people from around the world this year to Makkah.
Meanwhile, Kuwait's Hajj Mission is completely ready to receive the Kuwaiti pilgrims in Makkah and other holy sites including Mina, Mount Arafat and Muzdalifah, a Kuwaiti official said here on Saturday.
Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs for Coordination, Technical Support and Foreign Relations Khelaif Methyeb Al-Utahinah inspected the holy sites in Mina, Mount Arafat and Muzdalifah to assure safety of the Kuwaiti pilgrims. He told KUNA that all preparations are now ready to receive the Kuwaiti pilgrims for this year's Hajj season. He added that he also became acquainted with the medical facilities, entrances and exits as well as the electrical wiring services at the Kuwaiti Hajj convoys. In other news, two people were injured late on Friday night when part of a mountain in Makkah collapsed on their home, state news agency SPA said. The incident comes after 107 people were killed last week when a crane collapsed near Makkah's Grand Mosque. Muslim pilgrims are flocking to Makkah to attend next week's Hajj. The Civil Defense authority said the landslide caused the ceiling of the four story building in the Batha Quraish area to collapse, injuring a man and woman. An investigation is still ongoing to reveal the cause of the accident, the SPA said.
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