Maj. Gen. Saad Al-Jabari

:: As many as 9,000 officers and soldiers will be assigned to protect the “Hajj metro” train service and passengers, a security chief said.

The Al-Mashaaer Al-Mugaddassah Metro, as the transport service is known, operates for one week a year during the main pilgrimage season.

The commander of the Facilities Security Forces, Maj. Gen. Saad Al-Jabari, said that his forces are ready to maintain the security of the train service this year.

Al-Jabari, in an exclusive interview with Arab News, said new military vehicles would be deployed for the first time this season to confront any possible terrorist threat.

Preparations and training of his forces are complete and will help in the smooth running of the train line, Al-Jabari said.

Facilities Security Forces are responsible for protecting public facilities, such as oil, electrical and other vital facilities, Al-Jabari said. The forces are about to take over the administration and protection of new posts, such as the Civil Affairs agency, health centers, Saudi Railway Company train stations, and the security forces’ hospitals in Makkah, Riyadh and the Eastern Province.

New command centers will also be opened for the forces in many regions.

Al-Jabari said that there are currently intensive overseas courses being conducted for 45 officers and 200 soldiers in different countries, and that they will be appointed as trainers upon their return to the Kingdom.

Facilities Security Forces, with direct support from the interior minister, recently received a number of armored vehicles and tactical weapons, which will be used to protect vital facilities in the Kingdom, Al-Jabari added.