Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz said the kingdom had crushed most of the militants behind attacks and deadly bombings in the country and vowed to root out the few that remained, newspapers said on Saturday.
"Praise to God most (militants) have been annihilated and only a few remain. This few, God willing, we are chasing them and anyone behind them if takes 10, 20 or 30 years," he said in remarks published in the official Al Riyadh newspaper.
"This malignant germ must be eradicated. Anyone supporting this deluded faction or has mercy on them, we will consider him one of them," he warned.
Crown Prince Abdullah will head the Saudi delegation to the Gulf Cooperation Council summit in Kuwait in the coming days which will discuss an agreement on fighting terror attacks.
Saudi Arabia, cradle of Islam and birthplace of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, launched a crackdown against militants after triple suicide bombings in Riyadh killed 35 people in May.
Last month, suicide bombers killed 18 people in an attack on a foreign residents' compound in the capital. Both the United States and Britain have warned their nationals in the Gulf state that more attacks could be planned.
"Foreigners have come to serve and benefit this country. Like all citizens they too must enjoy safety," Crown Prince Abdullah said.
The kingdom is offering cash rewards for information which thwarts militant attacks and has paid $270,000 for a tip-off which led to the killing this month of one of the country's top suspects on a list of 26 wanted militants.
