King hails troops for heroic service

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman has praised the armed forces for defending the nation and Islam’s holiest sites.
Meeting with top military and security commanders at Al-Yamamah Palace on Tuesday, he said that they have a duty to protect the country’s people and Muslims coming on pilgrimage to the two holy cities.
Those present included top brass from the ministries of defense, interior and national guard, and the presidencies of general intelligence and royal guard. At the start of the gathering, they shook hands with the king and listened to a recital from the Holy Qur’an.
“In the name of Allah, most merciful, most gracious. Peace and blessings be upon the Prophet. Dear brothers and sons, I am pleased to be with you today, among our forces that defend our religion first and the land of the two holy mosques,” said King Salman.
“Whoever defends the land of the two holy mosques, its borders and internal security, is defending a homeland and loyal people who deserve to have their security protected internally and externally. By externally, I mean the borders.”
He thanked Allah for establishing a country that has “united the people under the banner” of monotheism.
This has been the case since the reign of King Abdulaziz and those of his sons Saud, Faisal, Khaled, Fahd and Abdullah, and the late crown princes Sultan and Naif, he said.
He said that his official title of custodian of the two holy mosques requires him to serve his religion and country. “Your country is the Qiblah (direction) of Muslims. Every Muslim prays toward it five times a day. Therefore, it’s our responsibility to ensure its security and stability, internally and externally.”
He added: “Thanks to Allah Almighty, all of you, the armed forces, for carrying out your duty. As I said, you are from this country, and are the most suited to defend its people.”
Those in attendance included Crown Prince Muqrin, deputy premier; Prince Miteb bin Abdullah, minister of the National Guard; Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif, second deputy premier and interior minister; Prince Mohammed bin Salman, minister of defense, president of the royal court, and special adviser to the custodian of the two holy mosques.