Saudi nationals appear to be taking over the Al Qaida network in Iraq. U.S. officials said military intelligence has detected the flow of Saudi financing and senior operatives to Al Qaida in the Al Anbar province. They said Saudis have financed leading Al Qaida operatives in the Faluja area. "It seems that senior Al Qaida operatives in Saudi Arabia have moved their operations to Iraq, where they are well-financed by prominent Saudis who don't want to see a democratic Iraq," an official said.
Saudi nationals have been smuggling Al Qaida recruits into Iraq for attacks on U.S. and Iraqi forces, officials said. They said Iraqi and U.S. units have increased their search for Saudi operatives and bolstered security along the southern Iraqi border. The Al Qaida network in Iraq has been led by Abu Mussib Al Zarqawi, a Palestinian with Jordanian citizenship. |