World

Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry says 100,000 security forces to oversee this year's hajj

Associated Press
Published | Updated

Saudi Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Mansour al-Turki speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at a security monitoring center in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2015. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy) (The Associated Press)

Saudi security officers monitor screens with live views of Muslim pilgrims in the holy city of Mecca, along with highways and high density areas, a few days before the start of the annual pilgrimage, known as the hajj, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2015. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy) (The Associated Press)

Saudi security officers monitor screens with live views of Muslim pilgrims in the holy city of Mecca, along with highways and high density areas, a few days before the start of the annual pilgrimage, known as the hajj, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2015. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy) (The Associated Press)

The spokesman for Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry says some 100,000 security personnel have been deployed to oversee the annual Islamic hajj pilgrimage that begins on Tuesday.

Maj. Gen. Mansour al-Turki says among those securing the massive crowds during hajj are members of an elite counterterrorism unit, traffic police and emergency civil defense personnel. They are being supported by additional troops from the army and national guard.

The pilgrimage comes as Saudi Arabia faces an expansion of Islamic State group attacks that have killed dozens of people this year.

Al-Turki vowed in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press on Saturday that militants "cannot control a centimeter anywhere in Saudi Arabia."

The hajj is expected to draw up to 3 million people from around the world this year to Mecca.