Saudi Arabia: Another Blow Against al Qaeda in the Kingdom

Saleh Mohammed al-Oufi — the alleged military commander of al Qaeda forces in Saudi Arabia — was killed Aug. 18, the kingdom's Interior Ministry said. Considering that al-Oufi was wounded a little more than a year ago in a gunbattle after which the Saudi al Qaeda branch lost two other commanders, and that the jihadist network has been unable to strike in the kingdom for the last eight months, it seems the militant Islamists' capabilities have been severely degraded. Unless al Qaeda prime can get a senior and experienced militant to revitalize its operations in the kingdom, Riyadh will continue to gradually take out al Qaeda's rank and file.