US pulling out of Saudi Arabia

[Vympel]

Bin Laden's main demand is met
By Sean O'Neill
(Filed: 30/04/2003)


America's announcement of its intention to withdraw its military bases from Saudi Arabia answers Osama bin Laden's most persistent demand.

More than any other cause it was the presence of "crusader" forces in the land of Islam's holiest sites - Mecca and Medina - that turned bin Laden from Afghan jihadi into an international terrorist.

A wealthy Saudi with royal connections, bin Laden fell out with the House of Saud largely because it permitted US bases in the country.

When Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990, bin Laden offered his own forces to the Saudi regime to help expel the Iraqis from the Gulf.

He was enraged when the Saudi royal family turned instead to Washington and more than 500,000 US troops were sent. The same year the Americans arrived, bin Laden fled Saudi - where he faced house arrest - and established his base in Sudan.

He and his al-Qa'eda forces moved to Afghanistan in 1996, issuing the first of his international fatwas through the London-based Al Quds Al Arabi newspaper.

After railing against the persecution of Muslims around the world, bin Laden stated: "The latest and greatest of these aggressions incurred by Muslims since the death of the Prophet … is the occupation of the land of the two Holy Places - the foundation of the House of Islam, the place of the revelation, the source of the message and the place of the noble Ka'ba, the Qiblah of Muslims, by the armies of the American Crusaders and their allies. We bemoan this and can only say 'No power and power acquiring except through Allah'."

Bin Laden's second fatwa, published 18 months later under the title "Declaration of the World Islamic Front for Jihad against the Jews and the Crusaders", repeated the demand.

It stated: "For over seven years now the United States has been occupying the lands of Islam in the holiest of places, the Arabian peninsula, plundering its riches, dictating to its rulers, humiliating its people, terrorising its neighbours and turning its bases in the peninsula into a spearhead through which to fight the neighbouring Muslim peoples."

By this time, al-Qa'eda had appropriated a host of other grievances in Palestine, Kashmir, Bosnia, Chechnya, the Philippines and beyond.

The US withdrawal from Saudi will not be enough to satisfy bin Laden or his followers. It may, however, make life easier for the Saudi regime, which has been struggling to quell growing dissent within the kingdom over the presence of "infidel" soldiers.

From the UK telegraph.

[Darth Fanboy]

When Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990, bin Laden offered his own forces to the Saudi regime to help expel the Iraqis from the Gulf.

Really? Now that would be a very fucking interesting scenario. Bin Laden and Hussein In a Camel Cavalry Death Match!

[Joe]

This is going to happen for sure, or just speculation? If so, then my prediction was proven right.

[Queeb Salaron]

This is going to happen for sure, or just speculation? If so, then my prediction was proven right.

Which prediction was that again? I forget.

[Vympel]

This is going to happen for sure, or just speculation? If so, then my prediction was proven right.

It is super-duper mega confirmed. Rumsfeld gave a speech at Prince Sultan Air Base to that effect.

Oh, and this just means pulling out of SA, not pulling out of the Gulf (forces in Qatar, probably some bases in Iraq as well for the next 50 years).

[Enforcer Talen]

why are we leaving?

[Wicked Pilot]

why are we leaving?

Because no one wants to station our troops in the middle of uber-muslim-fundie-land.

[Joe]

This is going to happen for sure, or just speculation? If so, then my prediction was proven right.

Which prediction was that again? I forget.

US out of Saudi Arabia.

[Joe]

Paul Wolfowitz said this was going to be done like two months ago in an NPR interview.

[Stravo]

This is good news indeed. I was never happy with our presence there nor the way our troops were treated where they essentially had to tip toe around about their own faiths when we were there defending these assholes that couldn't defend themselves and prompted our presence there in the first place.

I'm sure we will now base ourselves out of Qatar since they have proven to be reliable allies in the Iraqi war and basically courted our presence there. There does not seem to be teh same culture and religious clash issues there as in SA.

This was a move long time in coming.

[NecronLord]

The reason is basically because they don't need to enforce the NFZs over Iraq anymore, many of them won't be reposted in the M. East, they'll be going home.

[Enforcer Talen]

This is good news indeed. I was never happy with our presence there nor the way our troops were treated where they essentially had to tip toe around about their own faiths when we were there defending these assholes that couldn't defend themselves and prompted our presence there in the first place.

I'm sure we will now base ourselves out of Qatar since they have proven to be reliable allies in the Iraqi war and basically courted our presence there. There does not seem to be teh same culture and religious clash issues there as in SA.

This was a move long time in coming.

point.

[Coyote]

Good. Let the Saudi dogs to themselves. Take the wind out of the sails of the fanatics, too. We're also pulling some prescence out of Europe, too, bringing some home and moving others eastward, and redeploying out of South Korea. All this is stuff a long time needed.

[Stravo]

BTW does anyone else find it odd that although we give Israel billions in aid and weapons sales they can take care of themselves and in fact are seen as a threat by their neighboring Arab powers but Saudi Arabia which also has arms sold to them by us can't seem to protect themselves or have the will to.

[0.1]

There is no reason why the Saudi military could not be just as proficient as the Israeli military, their equipment are more or less comparable in most cases. But there has been a vested interest I would think on the part of the Saudis to not have an effective standing army that might in turn rebel. There have been ample precedents for this in Iraq, Egypt, Iran, etc. There is no other way to explain why Israel has been able to continually stave off the entire region militarily. The government is capable of having an effective army as it is not ever threatened by its own military.

One scary thing about a long term Iraqi democracy is that Iraq might actually end up with an effective army down the road that can rival the Israelis. (if the U.S. does not interfere) Given that democracy does not necessarily imply peace, in the long term, the biggest strategic worry for the Israelis might be that the entire middle east adapt a secular democracy. Then proceed to build up a strong enough army to rival the Israelis, it might take a century, but it would not be out of the question.

[Nathan F]

No real reason for us to still be in Saudi Arabia, in fact, it wouldn't surprise me if we cut relations with them, considering their lacking in the areas of controlling terrorism or helping with human rights.

We now have a foothold in the area with Iraq, and we will retain a military presence there for a time to come. Add that in with Kuwait, Israel, the UAE, and Qatar, and we have plenty of bases of operation.

[Rubberanvil]

The reason is basically because they don't need to enforce the NFZs over Iraq anymore, many of them won't be reposted in the M. East, they'll be going home.

ABC News mentioned troops won't be going home but instead be moved to bases in more US-friendly countries such as Qatar, Bahrain and in the ME. as well various Eastern European countries.

[Sea Skimmer]

Nothing new, the US has been steadily moving out since 9/11, its just taken time to build new facilities in Qatar and Kuwait.

[TrailerParkJawa]

BTW does anyone else find it odd that although we give Israel billions in aid and weapons sales they can take care of themselves and in fact are seen as a threat by their neighboring Arab powers but Saudi Arabia which also has arms sold to them by us can't seem to protect themselves or have the will to.

I dont find it odd, they dont really seem to value being able to protect themselves.

Im glad we are leaving. It angers me that women members of our military risk their lives to protect a country that treats them like dirt.

[weemadando]

IIRC this has been brewing for a while, indeed the day after the US confirmed that the ground campaign was effectively finished (a fortnight ago), the Kuwaiti's and the Saudi's both said: "Right, now you've got a few airstrips in Iraq, get the fuck out of our countries."

This is the diplomatic way of getting that done.

[Stormbringer]

Why do I have the feeling we'll have to go into Saudi Arabia in a few years and clean out the fundies there?

[Steve]

Why do I have the feeling we'll have to go into Saudi Arabia in a few years and clean out the fundies there?

AMERICANA VICTOR!

[Rubberanvil]

Why do I have the feeling we'll have to go into Saudi Arabia in a few years and clean out the fundies there?

Are you a betting man?

[Sea Skimmer]

BTW does anyone else find it odd that although we give Israel billions in aid and weapons sales they can take care of themselves and in fact are seen as a threat by their neighboring Arab powers but Saudi Arabia which also has arms sold to them by us can't seem to protect themselves or have the will to.

From a simple equipment standpoint Saudi Arabia can defend its self quite well, though they only have a fraction of the money they once did to spend on there military. It's the training that kills them, and that orbits back to the Arab culture. Israel is westernized.

[Queeb Salaron]

Why do I have the feeling we'll have to go into Saudi Arabia in a few years and clean out the fundies there?

Umm... Maybe because they're not Christian, and according to Bush, the USA is?