(Institute for Contemporary Affairs/Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) Mordechai Abir- The OPEC oil cartel is to increase its quota by nearly two million bpd to about 30 million bpd, with the biggest contribution coming from Saudi Arabia. Never before have relations between official Washington and the kingdom been as close as they are now. Yet, sympathy and help for the mujahidin, who have traveled in droves from the Saudi kingdom to fight the infidel "crusaders" (Americans) and their abhorred Shi'a allies in Iraq, elsewhere in the Middle East, and in the West, are still very much alive in Arabia. Thus, while the Saudis are cracking down on al-Qaeda inside Saudi Arabia, they continue to provide the ideological and even financial support for jihadi groups outside the Saudi kingdom. In mid-July 2005, Treasury Undersecretary Stuart Levey told a U.S. Senate committee, "Even today, we believe that Saudi donors may still be a significant source of terrorist financing, including for the insurgency in Iraq." According to most analyses, Saudis represent a plurality, if not a clear majority, of the foreign insurgents fighting the U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq.
2005-09-20 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive