The Religious Policeman

....referring again, of course, to the "disappearing" terrorists.

Terrorists Give Police the Slip

RIYADH, 17 April 2004 — Two terrorists who shot dead a security officer Wednesday gave police the slip again late Thursday night.

Police patrol cars sweeping the rugged area of Wadi Hanifa near Al-Oyaynah, 45 km northwest of Riyadh, spotted the suspects who had killed an officer of the Al-Mujahedeen units and wounded his colleague.

The suspects, who were hiding in a cave in the valley, were spotted by security officers using night vision binoculars, sources told Arab News.

So they've been spotted, covertly. Taking them should be simple, shouldn't it?

Security officers then sealed several ways into the area and waited for backup.

Great. Now they're sealed in, and we've got backup. Now we go and get them?

However, when orders to engage arrived the suspects had managed to flee into “deeper grounds”, according to a security source.

Damn! They've used "The Ring" again. "Deeper grounds" means "Middle Earth"? Or does it mean that they moved further away? Well, that shouldn't matter, should it, we've got them surrounded.

Due to the rugged terrain, security officers were unable to follow in their cars.

Holy Warrior, Batman! We went to all the trouble of setting up a cordon, and bringing in backup, but we never thought of that! We are the laziest nation of car-users. We'd rather park 4-deep outside a shop, blocking the entire road, than park round the corner and walk 10 meters. Never expect our police to venture too far from their car. I don't suppose there were any shawarma shops out in the wadi either, another reason to stay put. But it's jolly unfair of those terrorist-chappies to go so far from a road, it "just is'nt cricket".

The search for the suspects continued throughout Friday on foot and with Civil Defense helicopters.

Good move! Don't creep up on them as soon as you spot them at night. Wait until daylight, give them time to "vanish", then go in with helicopters so they can hear you coming ten kilometers away.

There are some scurrilous suggestions that the security forces don't want to catch the terrorists. How could people say such a hurtful thing?