Anger simmering in oil-rich Eastern Province after ISIL terrorist attack

Tension is running high in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern province two days after a deadly bomb attack targeted Shia worshipers.

The residents of the al-Qadeeh town, where the attack took place, voiced their anger on Sunday at the Saudi government’s lack of care for their safety.

They told reporters that security forces have left their communities unprotected.

"The government should protect people and if it's not, this is the government's fault,” said Naseema Assada, a resident of Shia-majority Qatif city near the stricken town, who added, "This is strange.”

Some were also criticizing the government for deploying thousands of security forces across the province after the bombing, saying that the deployment should have taken place before the deadly attack.

On Saturday, the government identified the bomber as Salih bin Abdulrahman Salih al-Ghishaami, a citizen of Saudi Arabia.

According to Saudi Interior Ministry, "He was wanted by security services for belonging to a terrorist cell receiving directions from Daesh [ISIL] abroad."

The ISIL Takfiris have been wreaking havoc across the Middle East, mainly in Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon.

This latest attack was the second mass killing of Shias in the Arab kingdom in less than a year.

"No, no, no... There is no action. They just want justice,” said the resident to AFP when asked about any possible retaliation by the residents in the affected town.

In November, seven people in the Eastern Province were killed in a terrorist attack that authorities blamed on ISIL.

The terrorist group controls swathes of land in Syria and Iraq.

The group has killed thousands of people and displaced millions more since several years ago.

Many of those who are with ISIL come from Arab countries in the Persian Gulf including Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi regime has been facing increasing criticism for fueling sectarian tensions, which have spread through the oil-rich monarchy.

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