Saudi king Fahd dies  By Riyadh August 2, 2005  Saudi Arabia's
King Fahd died today after years of ill health and a turbulent
reign that saw the oil-rich kingdom face up to Islamic
extremism.  His half-brother, Crown Prince Abdullah, who has
been de facto ruler for a decade, was anointed his successor.
Medical sources said King Fahd, aged in his 80s, died in
hospital at dawn.  The king had been admitted to King Faisal
Specialist Hospital in Riyadh in late May for "medical tests".
At that time he was said to be suffering from respiratory
problems, including pneumonia.  Believed to have been born in
1923, Fahd took the throne in 1982 of a vast kingdom which is
the world's largest petroleum exporter and holds a quarter of
global oil reserves.  He guided Saudi Arabia through a turbulent
era, including two Gulf Wars and the rise of Islamic extremism.
Two years of strife perpetrated by Islamic fighters has claimed
the lives of 90 civilians, 42 security personnel and 113
militants in Saudi Arabia.  Saudi's allian