Arab Analyst:

ISIL Plans to Target Saudi Oil Facilities, Sends Message to Erdogan through Attack on Turkey's Resorts

Rasa - Abdel Bari Atwan, the editor-in-chief of Rai al-Youm newspaper, warned that ISIL intends to take revenge from Saudi Arabia and Turkey and plans to attack against Saudi oil facilities, adding that the terrorist group's attack on Turkey's resort towns bore a vital a message to Ankara.

News ID: 426254

Date: 03 January 2017 - 18:36

RNA - "(ISIL ringleader) al-Baghdadi has called for attacking the oil facilities and interests of the countries which are members of the anti-ISIL coalition and inflicting a large casualties on them," Atwan wrote on Tuesday.

He said al-Baghdadi's order was directed at Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf Arab countries or Libya.

Atwan referred to the recent developments in the region after the Syrian and Iraqi armies and their allies' victories against the ISIL and the terrorist group's plots to revenge, and said, "Turkey may sustain the most damage of this development; specially after it joined the anti-ISIL war after years of delay."

He added that the recent terrorist blasts and attacks in Turkey's resort destinations and the death of foreign tourists is a clear message to the Turkish officials that the country will no more be safe.

Atwan had in a different article on Monday also referred to the Turkish government's hasty policies and positions in the past few months, and said the country has created many enemies for itself and is moving towards a bloody quagmire of terrorist attacks.

Atwan pointed to the recent terrorist attack in Turkey in which 39 people, mostly foreign tourists, were killed and over 70 others were wounded, and said, "This situation shows that the attack against the night club had been carefully plotted by not one person but by a large organization."

"What we understand from the recent rapid developments is that Turkey is moving towards the bloody quagmire of terrorism due to its hasty policies and positions, losing the compass of leadership and creating the largest number of enemies for itself all throughout the history, specially among the neighbors," he said.

The ISIL claimed responsibility for the attack on a nightclub in Istanbul that killed 39 people on New Year's Eve.

Police have arrested eight suspects in connection with the attack, which took place in the early hours of New Year's Day, but said they were still hunting for the gunman.

A blurry picture of the alleged attacker released on Monday shows a young dark-haired man in a black coat. Authorities believe the man may have a central Asian background.

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