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2020-05-08 Arabia
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US pulls anti-missile systems from Saudi Arabia amid oil dispute
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[IsraelTimes] Washington removes 2 Patriot batteries from crude fields as tensions boil between kingdom and White House over fuel production.
The US is pulling two Patriot missile batteries and some fighter aircraft out of 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...
, an American official said Thursday, amid tensions between the kingdom and the Trump administration over oil production.
The official said the decision removes two batteries that were guarding oil facilities in Saudi Arabia but leaves two Patriot batteries at Prince Sultan Air Base in the Saudi desert, along with other air defense systems and jet fighters. The US official said a THAAD anti-ballistic missile defense system will also remain in Saudi Arabia. The THAAD complements the Patriots by providing a defense against ballistic missiles traveling outside Earth’s atmosphere.
The decision scales back the American presence in Saudi Arabia just months after the Pentagon began a military buildup there to counter threats from Iran. About 300 troops that staff the two batteries would also leave Saudi Arabia, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military operations.
The move comes as the US has sent Patriot systems into Iraq to protect American and allied troops there, who came under an Iranian missile attack earlier this year. The Army has a limited number of the systems, and they routinely must be brought home for upgrades.
Two other Patriot batteries that are in the Middle East region are also heading home to the US, in a planned redeployment for maintenance and upgrades.
It’s not clear, however, whether the ongoing oil dispute or the struggle to parcel out the much-coveted Patriot systems was the key factor in the US decision to pull systems out of the kingdom.
Asked about the move Thursday, US President Donald Trump
 ...The tack in the backside of the Democratic Party...
said, "We’re making a lot of moves in the Middle East and elsewhere. We do a lot of things all over the world, militarily we’ve been taken advantage of all over the world."
He didn’t provide details, but added, "This has nothing to do with Saudi Arabia. This has to do with other countries, frankly, much more."
The Saudi government and the Saudi Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. State-run media in the kingdom similarly did not immediately acknowledge the troop removal.
The Pentagon announced last year that it would begin deploying forces and Patriot batteries to Prince Sultan Air Base, a former US military hub. The move was one of the more dramatic signs of America’s decision to beef up troops in the Middle East in response to threats from Iran.
When Gen. Frank McKenzie, the top US commander for the Middle East, visited the base earlier this year, the American troop presence had grown to roughly 2,500. At the time, McKenzie told news hounds with him that the base was a key strategic location, but that continued presence of troops and weapons there would depend on other national security needs around the world. 
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Posted by trailing wife 2020-05-08 01:31||
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Posted by Cesare 2020-05-08 07:06||
2020-05-08 07:06||
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Posted by Thing From Snowy Mountain 2020-05-08 08:49||
2020-05-08 08:49||
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