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July 15th, 2007 at 9:01 pm

“Shocker”: Pesky Saudis Make Up Half Of Foreign Terror Forces In Iraq

» by The GTL™ in: Conservatism, Corporatism, Duh!, Iraq, President Bush, Rants

As we can all remember, a bunch of Saudis blew up the Twin Towers on 9/11; President Bush’s response was to take over the countries of Afghanistan and Iraq while continuing to play a “Monica Lewinski” role to the royals in the Saudi Arabian government…

Now THIS, from The Los Angeles Times (are you surprised?):

Saudis’ role in Iraq insurgency outlined

Sunni extremists from Saudi Arabia make up half the foreign fighters in Iraq, many suicide bombers, a U.S. official says.

By Ned Parker

BAGHDAD — Although Bush administration officials have frequently lashed out at Syria and Iran, accusing it of helping insurgents and militias here, the largest number of foreign fighters and suicide bombers in Iraq come from a third neighbor, Saudi Arabia, according to a senior U.S. military officer and Iraqi lawmakers.

About 45% of all foreign militants targeting U.S. troops and Iraqi civilians and security forces are from Saudi Arabia; 15% are from Syria and Lebanon; and 10% are from North Africa, according to official U.S. military figures made available to The Times by the senior officer. Nearly half of the 135 foreigners in U.S. detention facilities in Iraq are Saudis, he said.

Fighters from Saudi Arabia are thought to have carried out more suicide bombings than those of any other nationality, said the senior U.S. officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the subject’s sensitivity. It is apparently the first time a U.S. official has given such a breakdown on the role played by Saudi nationals in Iraq’s Sunni Arab insurgency.

He said 50% of all Saudi fighters in Iraq come here as suicide bombers. In the last six months, such bombings have killed or injured 4,000 Iraqis.

The situation has left the U.S. military in the awkward position of battling an enemy whose top source of foreign fighters is a key ally… “

Hmmph. “Key ally”, they say. I say Great Brittain is a “key ally”. Australia is a “key ally”. France, Germany, and Canada are “key allies”. But if you were to listen to the Bush Administration and his neocon billionaire buddies in the Pentagon and in the “Hallowed” Halls of Congress, you’d think our “key allies” are China, who is developing military plans as we speak in order to kill Americans in the event they decide to take over Taiwan; and Saudi Arabia, whose citizens continuously work overtime to find new, creative ways to kill Americans. This “trickle down” theory of far-right capitalists who assert “If it’s good for Big Oil, Nation Buildin’, and Wal-Mart, the good stuff’s gonna trickle right down into your own blue collar bank account”’s time has come to die the death it deserves. Allies’ citizens don’t kill our families and/or plot to kill our families and that’s THAT.

Just where in the hell is the United Nations on this one anyway? I say, it’s time for international SANCTIONS against Saudi Arabia until the Royalty there can reign in their citizens and keep them from exporting their “Death To America” product in my not-so humble opinion.

I don’t know about the rest of you; I’ve had about ENOUGH of these jerks…

See also (hand-picked from MemeOrandum’s fantastic, “viral” roundup): Middle Earth Journal (My friend and fellow GTL co-blogger); Crooks and Liars; Hot Air (Far Right, but right ON in this one); Taylor Marsh; The Daily Dish (Andrew Sullivan); The Newshoggers

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Thanks again to our friends at RealClearPolitics for selecting this post for their REAL CLEAR BLOGS MONDAY – Morning Edition blogger roundup -

Thanks to our friends Michael Stickings and Ron Beasley for linking in -

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JollyRoger
10:14 pm on July 15th, 2007 1
Chimpy’s family is pretty tied up with the Saudis. No way are they gonna ever admit that the Wahhabism of Osama bin Laden is a Saudi product.
hanginjohnny
8:16 am on July 16th, 2007 2
Seriously. Bush Sr. is so tied to the money purse of King Fauod. Notice his title….King.
Not a democracy.
Wonder why they don’t bomb their own royal palaces.
Karlo
8:27 am on July 16th, 2007 3
It must be an Iranian plot to hire Saudis and send them into the country. An Iranian plot directed by the . . . um . . . Saudi Bin Ladin. That’s it.
nitish singh
9:55 am on July 16th, 2007 4
while it’s troubling/alarming/horrifying that so many foreign jihadis originate from saudi arabia…
i believe it’s too simplistic to blame the country for for its fringe radical citizens
it may be a stretch of an analogy, but that would be like blaming new york for timothy mcveigh
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_McVeigh
or italy for the mafia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mafia

certainly, the saudi government was late to the war on terror
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insurgency_in_Saudi_Arabia
essentially, only engaging in a meaningful manner once its self interests were under fire
http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2006-05/SaudiArabia2006-05-31-voa31.cfm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3759993.stm

i put the saudis and musharraf in a similar category: not nearly as tough as one would like against extremists and fringe elements, but making (more than half-)efforts under very difficult circumstances…
and definitely better than the likely alternatives

and this is coming from someone who would probably be dubbed a full-on right winger, ‘wingnut’–i don’t know the left wing term du jour for us–who favors stronger action against syria and iran because their governments more actively support radicals and extremists
Chuck
1:13 pm on July 16th, 2007 5
GTL

Wow, now that’s a rant buddy. Let’s see, I think you hit on about every obsession of the Left. Oops, you left out how the Saudis in league with the KKK have oppressed minorities and wimmin and gays .

If I may ask a question or two. Since the end of the cold war, when has France or Germany functioned as a “key” ally? I have a difficult time constructing a list where they even qualify as a regular ally. Next, assuming we could find enough countries to sanction the Saudis, what will we use for sanctions? Refuse to buy their oil? Just curious amigo.
The GTL™
10:09 pm on July 16th, 2007 6
France and Germany have stood by our sides during times of war. It may have been awhile, but they DO always give us a fair shake before they disagree. Germany supports us on every day there is an American base on their soil

As for the Saudis, I wouldn’t mind a specially tailored “Oil For Food” program of sorts
hanginjohnny
11:33 am on July 17th, 2007 7
“it may be a stretch of an analogy, but that would be like blaming new york for timothy mcveigh”

why New York and not Oklahoma?
we were all at fault for TM. A health system that let disturbed individuals fall through the cracks. And now soldiers are hireing hitmen to wound them so they won’t have to go back. Is this what it’s come to? Did this kind of thing happen in ‘Nam?

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/07/13/2007-07-13_gi_admits_paying_man_to_shoot_him_to_avo.html
nitish
4:12 pm on July 17th, 2007 8
mcveigh was born in new york.
that’s why geography and origins alone shouldn’t dictate guilt or complicity in criminal behavior

btw, i blame timothy mcveigh for timothy mcveigh.
he bought the materials…rented the truck…parked the truck…initiated the explosion…killing over 150 people…
many decisions he personally made to commit mass murder