OSAC EARLY BIRD

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From Arab NewsBorder Guard Officers Killed by 'Terrorist, Not Intruder'From AlJazeeraIAEA Reports Syria to UN Security CouncilFrom CNNBahrain Crown Prince Meets With Obama, Welcomes His 'Understanding'U.S. Resumes Airstrikes in Yemen; Government Forces Battle MilitantsFrom ReutersBuilders Flock to Mecca to Tap into Pilgrimage BoomFrom Yahoo NewsGadhafi 'Ordered Mass Rapes' in Libya: ICCFrom Fox NewsYemen Says Troops Killed 12 Al Qaeda MilitantsFrom The Wall Street JournalU.S., Allies Eye Post Gadhafi Libya

Photo Provided By Bruce KendallBorder Guard Officers Killed by 'Terrorist, Not Intruder'

JEDDAH: The man who killed two Saudi Border Guard officers and injured a third early Tuesday was a Saudi terrorist who was trying to make his way to Yemen through the Al-Wadeeah border post, security sources told Arab News Wednesday.Spokesman of the Interior Ministry Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki identified the attacker as Abdullah bin Abdul Rahman Al-Sayel. The man was also involved in a fatal attack on a police office in Qassim a month ago.Speaking to Arab News on condition of anonymity, the sources said Al-Sayel was shouting slogans usually used by terrorists while he was firing at the guards. The attacker was later shot dead.

Col. Abdul Jaleel Shari Al-Otaibi, who was killed in the attack, was laid to rest in Riyadh after Asr prayer Wednesday, while fellow victim Sgt. Barrak bin Ali Al-Harithy was buried at the same time in his home town of Sharourah in the south of the Kingdom.

Prince Muhammad bin Naif, assistant interior minister for security affairs, led the funeral prayers for Al-Otaibi. Senior officials of the ministry, Border Guard commander Maj. Gen. Zameem Al-Sawwat, Al-Otaibi's family and other citizens attended the prayer.Prince Muhammad conveyed to the family and sons of Al-Otaibi his personal condolences and those of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, Crown Prince Sultan, deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, and Prince Naif, second deputy premier and minister of interior.

Prince Muhammad had ordered that a special plane fly the body of Al-Otaibi to Riyadh where his family lives. The body arrived Wednesday morning and was received by Al-Sawwat and a number of officials.

The sources said the assailant was wearing a bulletproof vest and was using night vision goggles. They said the shootings followed the detection by Mujahideen patrols of the footprints of a person heading toward the border with Yemen. They informed the border guards about it. When the border guards arrived where the man was, he opened fire at them.Al-Otaibi was shot in the hip but he continued chasing the criminal. He turned down a suggestion from his colleagues to go to Sharourah general hospital for treatment, telling them that the bullet he received had only caused a flesh wound.The chase continued and Al-Sayel took refuge in the electricity room of the border post and continued shooting. He fatally shot Al-Otaibi in the chest and also shot Al-Barrak, who died on his way to hospital.Sgt. Aboud bin Faleh Al-Aklabi sustained light injuries and was taken to Sharourah where his condition is improving.The sources said the border guards were able to kill the intruder in an operation that lasted for more than five hours. They said he was carrying arms and ammunition and pliers to cut barbed wires.Border guards spokesman Lt. Col. Salim bin Saleh Al-Sulami said the attacker was very hostile and full of hate. He said the man parked his Nissan jeep about 10 km from the Al-Wadeeah border post and started walking on foot to avoid being detected by thermal cameras spread along the borders. He said the cameras spotted him and immediately the nearest patrol team was directed to deal with the situation.The spokesman said the two victims were promoted posthumously, their debts settled and were given a reward of SR1 million in addition to a medal of honor each.Al-Otaibi has a son studying in Britain and another in the US. He has a family of seven including his mother, three sons and three daughters. Al-Barrak has two sons and three daughters.The spokesman said Al-Sayel was arrested eight years ago for his association with Al-Qaeda terrorist group, for trying to set up a military training camp, for traveling to violence-hit countries and supplying arms to militants. He said Al-Sayel was released after completing the jail term and taking part in the counseling program. His relatives guaranteed that they would monitor his activities after his release on bail.The ministry emphasized the social responsibility toward such Al-Qaeda militants, adding that the society should follow those individuals to make sure they do not pose any threat to the public. They should also inform police about any suspicious moves from such individuals, the spokesman said.

IAEA Reports Syria to UN Security Council

The UN atomic watchdog has voted to report Syria to the UN Security Councilover allegations it was building an undeclared nuclear reactor that was then destroyed by Israeli bombs, diplomats have said.

At a closed-door meeting of the 35-member board of governors of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), 17 countries voted in favor of a corresponding resolution by the US and six against.Russia and China were among those who voted no. There were 11 abstentions and one country was absent from the vote, diplomats said.Ministersfrom the IAEA's 35 governing members have been meeting since Monday to discuss a raft of issues ranging from the disaster at Japan's Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant to a lack of satisfactory co-operation from member states, including Syria and Iran.In a key report before this week's meeting, IAEA Director-General Yukiya Amano said Syria should have declared the Dair Alzour site, which was destroyed by Israeli warplanes in 2007.The IAEA has been frustrated since 2008in repeated attempts to follow up on further evidence regarding the site.Based on that report, the US, backed by 12 allies, drew up the referral to bring Syria before the UN Security Council, insisting that that the reputation of the IAEA, set up by the UN to enforce the peaceful use of nuclear energy, was at stake."Syria's nuclear intentions at Dair Alzour are clear; the reactor there was built for the express purpose of producing plutonium for possible use in nuclear weapons," Glyn Davis, the chief US envoy to the IAEA, said.He went on to accuse Syria of "choosing to actively hinder the investigation by denying access, providing incomplete and misleading information, sanitizing multiple locations, and refusing to respond substantively to the agency's requests for further information and access".The US said the board consequently had no choice but to find Syria in violation of its safeguard agreements and report it to the UN Security Council.

The Russians have called the referral "untimely and not objective," in a statement to the IAEA board.They said the evidence against Syria was hypothetical and based on "possible alleged insufficiencies".

Bahrain Crown Prince Meets With Obama, Welcomes His 'Understanding'Bahrain's crown prince, whose country has been wracked by anti-government protests, thanked U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday for his backing of a "national dialogue" to help resolve the country's political crisis."President Obama's support and understanding regarding Bahrain's forthcoming national dialogue were most welcome, as were his comments on the circumstances required to ensure its success," Crown Prince Salman said in a prepared statement.Protests swept the strategically important island kingdom this year as populations across the Arab world rose up against their rulers. Bahrain, a small, predominantly Shiite country governed by a Sunni royal family, is home to the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, and the United States has been concerned about the instability there.Obama had a "productive discussion" with the crown prince on Tuesday, the White House said. He "reaffirmed the strong commitment of the United States to Bahrain" and said both the government and the opposition must compromise.

The president welcomed Bahraini King Hamad's decision to end the "state of national safety" early and the announcement that the national dialogue on reform would begin in July. Obama said the "stability of Bahrain depends upon respect for the universal rights of the people of Bahrain, including the right to free speech and peaceful assembly, and a process of meaningful reform that is responsive to the aspirations of all."The crown prince said Wednesday he shared the president's "outlook concerning respect for universal rights and the continuance of Bahrain's process of meaningful reform, which is a fundamental priority for the kingdom." He said Bahrain's commitment to reform "remains steadfast.""His Majesty has already made clear that a national dialogue will start next month, that it will be serious and without pre-conditions. Most significantly, Bahrain's leading political groups have both welcomed and are committed to joining this process; providing a critical indication, from all sides of the political spectrum, that Bahrain's continued democratic development should be underpinned by stability and driven by consensus."The crown prince also met with National Security Adviser Tom Donilon.

U.S. Resumes Airstrikes in Yemen; Government Forces Battle MilitantsThe United States and Yemen are taking on Islamic militants on the land and from the air amid fears that al Qaeda is exploiting the political chaos and leadership vacuum engulfing the unstable and impoverished Arabian Peninsula country.Yemeni government forces are trying to wrest the southern town of Zinjibar from Islamic militants, and an American official said U.S. military-led airstrikes have resumed and top insurgents have been killed.U.S. drone strikes have been conducted in the past in Yemen, and CNN National Security Contributor Fran Townsend, a former Bush Homeland Security adviser, said the current airstrikes are an "indication of the strength and confidence" President Barack Obama has in the CIA, which directs the strikes."I think it's a resumption," Townsend said of the airstrikes." And I do think it appears to be an intensification. Some of that may be based on the threat environment and better intelligence."Widespread tumult has engulfed Yemen for months, with thousands of demonstrators who oppose the rule of President Ali Abdullah Saleh urging the president's departure.In recent weeks, anti-government tribal forces have battled with troops, and last Friday, the presidential compound was attacked, injuring Saleh and other senior officials, who were taken to Saudi Arabia for treatment.But Saleh long has been mired in another struggle -- the fight against al Qaeda in the Arabia Peninsula, al Qaeda's Yemen wing, and he has been a key ally of the United States in the fight against the militant group."The Yemeni government has a strong partnership with the U.S. government, especially in the field of counterterrorism," said a Yemeni government official who has asked not to be named because he is not authorized to speak to the media.

Both Yemen and the United States have envisioned a nightmare scenario of AQAP taking advantage of the civil strife and exploiting the absence of Saleh and other top officials.A U.S. military official with knowledge of the Yemen campaign told CNN that U.S. military-led air operations recently resumed after a pause of some months and a top militant may have been killed.

Abu Ali al-Harithi, "described as one of the most dangerous al Qaeda commanders in Shabwa province," has been killed in Yemeni security operations, state-run TV reported Thursday, citing an official military source. The New York Times reported Thursday that American jets killed al-Harithi in an airstrike last Friday.The U.S. official also said the United States believes it probably killed al-Harithi in an airstrike in southern Yemen in recent days. But he cautioned its "very difficult" to confirm the killing.That official said the United States had paused airstrikes because it "didn't have faith in the information available," to target individuals in Yemen during that time. But the official could not say what led to the improved intelligence picture.

Last month, a U.S. drone strike attempted but failed to kill Anwar al-Awlaki, the American-born radical Muslim cleric who moved to Yemen and has become a key figure in al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.That attack came after the U.S. military swooped into a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, on May 2, and killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.Townsend said AQAP is dangerous and the administration is rightly concerned, noting that the chaos in Yemen "benefits our enemies and not us."The official Yemeni source cited by state TV reported other deaths in security operations, such as "the killing of various commanders and members of al Qaeda in Abyan province."People killed in operations included the "media official of the organization, Ayman Al-Masri, and the terrorist Ali Saleh Farhan, the commander of the organization in Marib province."Meanwhile, fighting continued in Zinjibar, an Abyan province town that had been taken over by militants. The state TV report said the government had ousted militants from the town.

"The heroes of the armed forces and with the help of the noble residents managed to clear the city of Zinjibar and caused al Qaeda serious losses in lives and weaponry," the state-run TV report said.Earlier, a senior security official loyal to the Yemeni government told CNN that nine Islamic militants and four Yemeni soldiers were killed in clashes overnight in Zinjibar.Medical officials in Razi hospital near Zinjibar said Thursday that more than 40 people entered the hospital, all with wounds from bullets of explosives."Dead bodies are still in the streets of Zinjibar, but residents have evacuated the city, leaving those injured with no one to take them to the hospital," a medic at the hospital said.Recently, a U.S. official told CNN that AQAP is trying to position itself for greater power and influence, a sign of an evolving power struggle in the militant group since the killing of Osama bin Laden."They are using the death of bin Laden as a way to bolster their own image," the U.S. official told CNN. The source declined to be identified because of the sensitive intelligence information that has led to this assessment.There's a strong AQAP presence in Abyan, and the United States has long felt that the group is a growing threat."They are clearly trying to improve their capabilities," as they were even before bin Laden's death, the official said. He noted the death of bin Laden, coming on the heels of the growing civil unrest in Yemen, gives the group the opportunity to both bolster its image and operate more freely."We have seen a steady progression of al Qaeda presence in Yemen and efforts by them to organize and become more efficient," the official said.As for Saleh -- wounded when the mosque at the presidential compound in Sanaa was attacked during Friday prayers -- Tareq al-Shami, the ruling party spokesmen, said the president will be back in Yemen "within days and is now in very good health."

Builders Flock to Mecca to Tap into Pilgrimage BoomThe Saudi holy city of Mecca is proving to be the exception to a Middle East property downturn, as more and more pilgrims flock to Islam's holiest city and fuel a hotel construction boom.The more than 2.5 million pilgrims who flock to Mecca for the annual Haj pilgrimage, a duty for every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it, are witnessing a transformation of the city's skyline with luxury hotels, high-rise residential blocks and cranes now overlooking the Grand Mosque."Mecca has now come of age," said Shuja Zaidi, vice president of projects and general manager for Mecca Hilton & Towers in Saudi Arabia.A forest of high-rise buildings just next to the Grand Mosque is emerging, built by Saudi developer Jabal Omar and costing more than $5.5 billion, where Hilton and others will open 26 new hotels and add 13,000 more rooms."But there's no doubt that these rooms will also be fully occupied," said Zaidi. "The simple growth of the Muslim population more than justifies the expansion."A total of more than 6 million pilgrims enter Saudi for Haj and Umrah pilgrimages each year.The expected spending spree by the government and developers in Mecca and the second holy city of Medina is valued at some $120 billion over the next decade and at the present there are $20 billion of projects underway in Mecca alone, according to Banque Saudi Fransi.

Marriott International Inc and Hyatt International have also announced plans to manage and operate hotels built by Jabal Omar.That is expected to boost Mecca's ability to accommodate pilgrims by at least 50 percent over the next decade.Bringing more Muslims to the holy city for salvation, according to the writs of Islam, is something Saudi Arabia sees as its duty and the kingdom has been behind the drive to develop and expand the city, despite grumblings by detractors.

"This is an absolute contradiction to the nature of Mecca and the sacredness of the House of God," Sami Angawi, an expert on Mecca and Medina based in Jeddah."Both (Mecca and Medina) are historically almost finished. You cannot go around a central area, and you do not find anything except skyscrapers."The world's largest clock tower, in the style of Big Ben, now towers over a high-rise hotel facing the Kaaba, the ancient Mecca shrine that Muslims around the world face when they pray.PRICES SOARMecca has traditionally offered non-serviced accommodation for pilgrims, such as small rooms with basic facilities for washing and resting. They were seen as short-term, temporary residents, some even staying in private homes in Mecca for a small charge.But all this has changed over the last few years with big, international and regional hospitality groups moving into Mecca. Branded luxury hotels with 24-hour service from a team of male staff is now commonplace for tourists and pilgrims. The rooms are utility-based, with bath tubs replaced with showers and facilities for ritual ablution.Commercial space close to the Grand Mosque can sell for as much as $100,000 per square meter, property experts claim, making it one of the most expensive, if not most expensive, in the world.By comparison, the most expensive street in the world, reputed to be an avenue in Monaco, is estimated at around $180,000 per square foot.

Dubai developers Emaar Properties and Damac Properties as well as construction firm's Arabtec and Drake and Scull are also anxious to get into the Saudi market.Those companies, along with rivals from Qatar, Kuwait and Egypt are betting that success in Mecca could give them an edge in penetrating the broader Saudi market, which is seeing a severe housing shortage due to the kingdom's booming population.Banque Saudi Fransi estimates private and public developers need to build about 275,000 homes per year though 2015 to meet the country's demands for about 1.65 million new homes."Our biggest backlog of about 50 percent, which comes to 7.5 billion dirhams ($2 billion), is in Saudi Arabia," said Zeina Tabari, chief corporate affairs officer at Drake. "We are tendering for a lot of projects in Jabal Omar and around the Mecca area. We expect a tremendous upside in Saudi Arabia."Later this month, the Saudi government is hosting a gathering of officials, developers and builders at a 'Future Makkah' summit on the city's breakneck expansion.

Gadhafi 'Ordered Mass Rapes' in Libya: ICCInvestigators have evidence Libyan leader Moamer Gadhafii ordered mass rapes and bought containers of sex drugs to encourage troops to attack women, the chief ICC prosecutor said.Luis Moreno-Ocampo said he may ask for a new charge of mass rape to be made against Gadhafi following the new evidence.

The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor is expecting a decision from judges within days on his request for charges of crimes against humanity to be laid against the Libyan leader, one of his sons and his intelligence chief."Now we are getting some information that Gadhafi himself decided to rape and this is new," Moreno-Ocampo told reporters.

He said there were reports of hundreds of women attacked in some areas of Libya, which is in the grip of a months-long internal rebellion.There was evidence the Libyan authorities bought "Viagra-type" medicines and gave them to troops as part of the official rape policy, Moreno-Ocampo said."They were buying containers to enhance the possibility to rape women," he said."It was never the pattern he used to control the population. The rape is a new aspect of the repression. That is why we had doubts at the beginning, but now we are more convinced that he decided to punish using rape," the prosecutor said.

"It was very bad -- beyond the limits, I would say."Gadhafi's regime had not previously been known for using rape as a weapon against political opponents and Moreno-Ocampo said he had to find evidence that the Libyan leader had given the order.In March, a Libyan woman made international headlines when she entered a Tripoli hotel and said she had been raped by Gadhafi troops.

Iman al-Obeidi was detained but managed to escape from Libya. She ended up in Qatar but was deported back from there to rebel-held Libya. She is now resting at a refugee centre in Romania.Moreno-Ocampo issued arrest warrants last month against Gadhafi, his son Seif al-Islam and intelligence chief Abdullah al-Sanussi. ICC judges are to announce in days whether they agree to the charges.The Libyan government does not recognize the international court's jurisdiction.

Yemen Says Troops Killed 12 Al Qaeda MilitantsSANAA, Yemen Government troops trying to recapture areas held by Islamic militants have killed 12 suspected Al Qaeda members in the troubled southern province of Abyan, the Defense Ministry said Thursday.The fighting comes amid fears of a breakdown of authority in the country as the regime is locked in an uneasy standoff with rebellious tribesmen in the capital, Sanaa, following the departure of President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The Yemeni leader, who has clung to power in the face of months of massive street protests, is in Saudi Arabia to treat wounds he suffered in a rocket attack against his compound in Sanaa.The United States fears that this power vacuum will give freer rein to Al Qaeda's branch in Yemen -- one of the terror network's most active franchises, behind two attempted terror attacks on U.S. targets.The Defense Ministry said the militants were killed in gun battles with government troops in the province's Doves and Kod areas but gave no more details.Military officials in Abyan said three soldiers also were wounded as government troops advanced toward the provincial capital of Zinjibar, which was seized by militants last week. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.On Tuesday, the Defense ministry said its troops have killed at least 30 militants just outside Zinjibar.

The Yemeni government consistently claims that the militants in Abyan are connected to Al Qaeda. But their true identity remains unclear because Yemen has numerous armed Islamic militants and not all are affiliated with the terror network.The Obama administration has intensified the covert U.S. war in Yemen, hitting militant suspects with armed drones and fighter jets, The New York Times reported late Wednesday.The report said Yemeni troops that had been battling militants linked to Al Qaeda in the south of the impoverished country have been pulled back to the capital to support Saleh's regime.American officials hope the strikes will help prevent militants from consolidating power.A drone strike by U.S. special operations forces on May 5 targeted U.S.-born Al Qaeda cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, but a malfunction caused rockets to miss him by a matter of minutes, two U.S. officials told The Associated Press. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters.The recent operations come after a nearly yearlong pause in American airstrikes, which were halted amid concerns that poor intelligence had led to bungled missions and civilian deaths that were undercutting the goals of the secret campaign.Saleh authorized secret American missions in Yemen in 2009 but placed limits on their scope and has said publicly that all military operations have been conducted by his own troops.The military officials said drones believed to belong to the United States have over the past week intensified their sorties over Abyan and the nearby province of Shabwa. Both are suspected to host militants from Al Qaeda.

U.S., Allies Eye Post Gadhafi LibyaABU DHABI, United Arab EmiratesAllied and Arab nations meeting here with Libyan rebel leaders on Thursday approved a financial mechanism to support Libya's National Transitional Council, and discussed a political future for the North African country after the end of Col. Moammar Gadhafi's rule.The U.S. maintained its support for the rebel organization, but it stopped short of formally recognizing the body, or providing a timeline for the release of frozen Libyan assets in the U.S. "Gadhafi's days are numbered," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said. "We are working with our international partners through the U.N. to plan for the inevitable: a post-Gadhafi Libya."Libya's main opposition group made headway on other fronts, gaining political recognition from Australia, as well as pledges for over $1.1 billion in funding. But the National Transitional Council continued to press for ways to channel funds from frozen Libyan assets worldwide. The group said it "has begun planning for the stabilization and reconciliation of Libya," according to a copy of the rebel's political roadmap. Australia joined a handful of nations such as France, Qatar, and Italy, saying said it has recognized the National Transitional Council as a "the legitimate interlocutor" on behalf of the Libyan people.The U.S. has officially described the TNC as a "legitimate" representative of the Libyan people since rebel leaders visited Washington last month, but the U.S. still does not formally recognize the TNC as the legitimate government of Libya.U.S. officials have repeatedly said that the lack of formal recognition does not impede U.S. efforts to support the opposition. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Wednesday, "whether we recognize the opposition there or not doesn't reflect on the fact that we continue to work to support the opposition in its efforts to protect themselves against Gadhafi's forces."Fathi Baja, head of political and international affairs for the TNC, told the Associated Press he was encouraged by the growing list of countries that announced they plan to recognize the council as the legitimate government of Libya. But he said he was less impressed with the financial commitments, adding that he was hearing more about money in the meeting already promised than new pledges. "You cannot continue liberating the rest of the country while your money is frozen," Baja said. "You have more than two-thirds of the country liberated. These people need food, medicine, education, schools for instance. We expect 1 million students will go back to school after two months. How can we prepare the schools for them? Most of them are damaged."