| They talk big, but carry a small stick. |
"Soddy Arabia
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face...
has neither asked for ground troops nor are we sending them [to any country]," Pak foreign affairs adviser Sartaj
PrunefaceAziz
...Adviser to Pak Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on National Security and Foreign Affairs, who believes in goodjihadis and
badjihadis as a matter of national policy...
told a parliamentary foreign affairs committee.
Briefing the committee on last week's back-to-back visits to Islamabad by Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman and Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir, Aziz stressed Pakistain's full support for the anti-terrorism alliance but said its participation would be limited to intelligence sharing, training and the provision of arms.
"It is not our policy to send troops to any country as part of any alliance except those with a UN mandate," Aziz was quoted as saying by Pak state television
... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
.Aziz also told the committee that Islamabad would rather play a mediatory role between Riyadh and Tehran -- rather than taking sides -- with a view to easing mounting tension between the two regional powers.
Diplomatic ties between longtime strategic allies Islamabad and Riyadh reportedly soured last year after the former refused to send troops to fight Shia Houthi
...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the
Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The Yemeni government has accused the Houthis of having ties to the Iranian government, which wouldn't suprise most of us. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is
God is Great, Death to Americaâ„¢, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews...
rebels in Yemen
...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic...
as part of a Saudi-led military campaign.