Article

2007-07-16 Arabia

'Saudi Arabia is the biggest source of foreign jihadis in Iraq'

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Posted by anonymous5089 2007-07-16 08:55|| || Front Page|| [11133 views ] Top
File under: Iraqi Insurgency

#1 Saudi are no friend of the west.If it wernt for oil we would have nothing to do with them!!!!

Posted by Paul 2007-07-16 09:20|| 2007-07-16 09:20|| Front Page Top

#2 In this case, I think that the government of Iraq should launch a publicity drive in Saudi Arabia, aimed at young men.

Some television commercials and print advertising, featuring Sunni Imams from both Iraq and Saudi, putting out the simple message that young Saudi men are being "tricked" into killing themselves to kill other Muslims, which is not jihad, but sin.

Just by planting the seed of doubt, a lot of those dumbasses might have second thoughts.

Posted by Anonymoose 2007-07-16 10:13|| 2007-07-16 10:13|| Front Page Top

#3 I started to post but messed up cause it was minutes from midnight.

While Saudi role should not be diminished - there are few facts in this article to support this premise - note:

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.
- um, excuse me, Smelly Times, but do you have any names to go with those figures?

About 45% of all foreign militants targeting U.S. troops and Iraqi civilians and security forces are from Saudi Arabia; .... according to official U.S. military figures made available to The Times by the [anonymous] senior officer. Nearly half of the 135 foreigners in U.S. detention facilities in Iraq are Saudis, he said.
um, scuse me, SmellA times, if these are "official US figures, why can't you source them

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.
Soooo Smelly Times, this is an anonymous opinion from an unsourced "official" report.

[The Anonymous] 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.
who is he and source please

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.
ah, US military awkwardly battling opinion of unnamed source of unsourced "offical" report. And...Do I smell a Bush/Halliburton connection?

In the 1980s, the Saudi intelligence service sponsored Sunni Muslim fighters for the U.S.-backed Afghan mujahedin battling Soviet troops in Afghanistan. At the time, Saudi intelligence cultivated another man helping the Afghan fighters, Osama bin Laden, the future leader of Al Qaeda who would one day turn against the Saudi royal family and mastermind the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and the Pentagon. Indeed, Saudi Arabia has long been a source of a good portion of the money and manpower for Al Qaeda: 15 of the 19 hijackers in the Sept. 11 attacks were Saudi. All true, but how does this confirm or relate to your proclaimed stats?

Now, a group that calls itself Al Qaeda in Iraq is the greatest short-term threat to Iraq's security, U.S. military spokesman Brig. Gen. Kevin Bergner said Wednesday.
Ah a source ... but wait! Are we to assume that Al Qaeda in Iraq means that "Saudi Arabia which is the largest source of foreign insurgents in Iraq,"??

The group, one of several Sunni Muslim insurgent groups operating in Baghdad and beyond, relies on foreigners to carry out suicide attacks because Iraqis are less likely to undertake such strikes, which the movement hopes will provoke sectarian violence, Bergner said. Despite its name, the extent of the group's links to Bin Laden's network, based along the Afghan-Pakistani frontier, is unclear.
Ah another named quote ...but why should we believe that "severeal Sunni Muslim" groups means that Saudi Arabia is the largest source of foreign insurgents in Iraq, ??

The Saudi government does not dispute that some of its youths are ending up as suicide bombers in Iraq, And pray tell just how does this prove that Saudi Arabia is the largest source of foreign insurgents in Iraq,

blah, blah...

said a U.S. intelligence official in Washington, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Others contend
Other Iraqi officials said
But some Iraqi Shiite leaders say
the [UNNAMED] senior U.S. military officer said.
[UNNAMED] Iraqi officials agreed.
the [UNNAMED] senior officer said.

An estimated 60 to 80 foreign fighters cross into Iraq each month, according to the U.S. military. yes - but where does it say the largest percent (45%) are from Saudi Arabia?

Posted by Angaiger Tojo1904">Angaiger Tojo1904 2007-07-16 12:23|| 2007-07-16 12:23|| Front Page Top

#4 Touched a nerve??

Posted by lotp 2007-07-16 12:40|| 2007-07-16 12:40|| Front Page Top

#5 I did a Google search of "foreign fighters" +"captured in Iraq", and came up with a few good sources. The first one contains the following statements:

They are among more than 400 militants from 21 countries whose deaths were celebrated on Islamic Web sites over the last two years.

"By far the nationality that comes up over and over again is Saudi Arabia," says Evan Kohlmann, an NBC News terrorism expert.

The NBC News analysis of Web site postings found that 55 percent of foreign insurgents came from Saudi Arabia, 13 percent from Syria, 9 percent from North Africa and 3 percent from Europe.

The U.S. military also says Saudi Arabia and Syria are the leading sources of insurgents. An Army official provided a list of the top 10 countries to NBC News but would not release the numbers of foreign fighters from each. The top 10, alphabetically, are: Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia and Yemen.

The information is from the terrorists' own propaganda outlet - the horse's mouth, so to speak.

Posted by Old Patriot">Old Patriot 2007-07-16 13:07|| http://oldpatriot.blogspot.com/]">[http://oldpatriot.blogspot.com/] 2007-07-16 13:07|| Front Page Top

#6 The percentage hasn't changed from 2-3 years, but the percentage of Saudis volunteering to blow up women in markets is down. It was estimated to be 80% at one time.

Posted by ed 2007-07-16 13:08|| 2007-07-16 13:08|| Front Page Top

#7 The nerve it touched was the one regarding headlines that don't support the content contained within. This article provides no source to support this claim except this:

according to official military figures made available to The Los Angeles Times by a[n UNNAMED] senior US military officer

Was this offical report provided by this UNNAMED "Senior US military office"? Or is this a report that I too could find should I choose to look for it.

This article provides ZERO to support the headline's claim.

Posted by Angaiger Tojo1904">Angaiger Tojo1904 2007-07-16 13:30|| 2007-07-16 13:30|| Front Page Top

#8 This has been true since since the start of the Iraq war. In fact, at one time 50% of the foreign fighters came from one province in eastern Saudi Arabia.

As Ed says, if anything the percentage of Saudis has declined over time. This is proof that Iraq has become AQ's roach motel.

Al

Posted by Frozen Al 2007-07-16 13:42|| 2007-07-16 13:42|| Front Page Top

#9 Why would Saudi try to stop them? If a lot of their young whackos are leaving the country & not coming back I'm sure it's a win-win for them. OTOH, we need to deal w/the Saudis eventually based on so many reasons besides this article.

Posted by Broadhead6 2007-07-16 14:23|| 2007-07-16 14:23|| Front Page Top

#10 Anonymous, untraceable sources that may or may not exist (and entirely too often don't, as the blogosphere has proved time and again) is indeed an ongoing frustration with mainstream journalism, Angaiger Tojo1904. But in this case the numbers match up with what we've been seeing here at Rantburg for a number of years... and are not contradicted by those Rantburgers who've spent time over there. When you have some time take a walk through Rantburg's archives, and see for yourself.

Posted by trailing wife 2007-07-16 16:13|| 2007-07-16 16:13|| Front Page Top

#11 In fact, at one time 50% of the foreign fighters came from one province in eastern Saudi Arabia. It was estimated to be 80% at one time.

Heh! Maybe that's the reason for this crap-o "reporting". The real story is probably something positive like, "Flow of SA Jihadists Slows Over Word That Surge is Working."

But why miss an opportunity to keep the Kos Kids sheltered from life's difficult realities and pacify them with a play day in Bush/Cheney conspiracy fun by changing the moral of the story to this? 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.

Posted by Angaiger Tojo1904">Angaiger Tojo1904 2007-07-16 16:15|| 2007-07-16 16:15|| Front Page Top

#12 Just as Congress has to be dragged kicking and screaming to utter a peep of protest against Iranian actions which have killed U.S. troops, President Bush will do everything possible to wiggle out of condemning "our good friends the Saudis" for their perfidy.

We need new leadership ASAP.

November, 2008 can not arrive soon enough.

Posted by Grumenk Philalzabod0723 2007-07-16 18:52|| 2007-07-16 18:52|| Front Page Top

#13 We need new leadership ASAP

I know

Posted by Hillary 2007-07-16 20:27|| 2007-07-16 20:27|| Front Page Top

#14 I also wonder why Angaiger Tojo1904 is upset?

for the journalistic standards of a particular news org..

reporters alleged sourses? ...nony sourcing.

the actual #s of splodyDopes from SA?

or Perhaps he's just another Saudi who's gonna lecture us about Sand Tecnology and the art of al-wuḍû again.

Posted by RD">RD 2007-07-16 20:51|| 2007-07-16 20:51|| Front Page Top

23:59 JosephMendiola
23:57 Zenster
23:54 JosephMendiola
23:27 Zenster
23:26 ex-lib
23:22 Zenster
23:22 ex-lib
23:16 Jihad Trousers
23:14 gromgoru
23:04 Zenster
23:02 Jihad Trousers
23:01 Zenster
22:55 Zenster
22:53 Frank G
22:46 Frank G
22:46 RD
22:41 RD
22:37 whatadeal
22:31 Jihad Trousers
22:19 Angie Schultz
22:17 RD
22:11 RD
22:07 jds
22:02 RD