Article

2003-05-18 Arabia

Al Qaeda Arms Traced to Saudi National Guard

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Posted by Fred Pruitt 2003-05-18 09:05 pm|| || Front Page|| [13 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 ...This comes under the heading of Exceptionally Bad. The Saudi NG isn't a reserve force under nominal state control like it is here, so the name tends to be misleading to a lot of folks.
The SNG is the rough equivalent in size and firepower of a medium armored cav regiment. Its sole purpose is to defend the King and his immediate family. Most (tho not all) members of the SNG are descended from the men who helped King Abdul Aziz Al-Saud take Riyadh back in the 1920s, and the senior commanders are all supposedly reliable princes. Most of it is based in Riyadh (the capital), Mecca, and Madinah - in short, the only three places in the country where the King would be expected to be on a regular basis.
So think about this for a moment - the only force the House of Saud completely trusts for its own personal safety may seems to be compromised, and perhaps fatally so. This does not bode well..

Mike

Posted by Mike Kozlowski 2003-05-18 23:33:16|| 2003-05-18 23:33:16|| Front Page Top

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