09-28-2006, 02:50 AM
<b>Saudis plan fence to block Iraq's terrorists</b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- In a sign of regional concern over terrorism, <b>Saudi Arabia is pushing ahead with plans to build a fence along its entire 560-mile (900-kilometer) border</b> with Iraq to prevent terrorists from entering the kingdom from the chaotic north.
The barrier, which likely will take five to six years to complete, is part of a $12 billion package of measures, including electronic sensors, bases and physical barriers, to protect the oil-rich kingdom from external threats, said Nawaf Obaid, head of the Saudi National Security Assessment Project, an independent research institute that provides security advice to the Saudi government.
The ambitious project reflects not only concern over terrorism but also growing alarm over the situation in Iraq, where <b>U.S. forces are struggling to prevent Sunni-Shiite violence from escalating to full-scale civil war</b>. (Watch as one analyst says U.S. strategy is flawed -- 1:45)
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The barrier, which likely will take five to six years to complete, is part of a $12 billion package of measures, including electronic sensors, bases and physical barriers, to protect the oil-rich kingdom from external threats, said Nawaf Obaid, head of the Saudi National Security Assessment Project, an independent research institute that provides security advice to the Saudi government.
The ambitious project reflects not only concern over terrorism but also growing alarm over the situation in Iraq, where <b>U.S. forces are struggling to prevent Sunni-Shiite violence from escalating to full-scale civil war</b>. (Watch as one analyst says U.S. strategy is flawed -- 1:45)
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