Saudi Arabia: Friend Or Foe? http://www.aina.org:80/news/20070927100519.htm _____
Posted GMT 9-27-2007 15:5:19 _____ There's new evidence the Saudis aren't cooperating in our battle to eradicate terrorists or those who bankroll them. Their negligence is shocking even to cynics. According to the Treasury Department's top anti-terror official, the kingdom has not prosecuted a single person named by the U.S. or the United Nations as a terror financier. Asked by ABC News how many Saudis have been charged with funding terror since 9/11, Treasury Undersecretary Stuart Levey said, "There have not been any." Not one? "No," he asserted. In a rare public rebuke of our alleged war ally, Levey pointed out that the Saudi government has failed to go after even men like Yasin al-Qadi, a wealthy Saudi businessman whom both the U.S. and U.N. blacklisted as an al-Qaida financier one month after the 9/11 attacks. Al-Qadi remains free, still a prominent figure in the kingdom. "And he remains designated to the United Nations for his material support to al-Qaida," Levey fumed. "When the evidence is clear that these individuals have funded terrorist organizations and knowingly done so, then that should be prosecuted and treated as real terrorism." In another example, a top Saudi charity official whom U.S. prosecutors accused of funneling funds to al-Qaida fighters in Chechnya is still at large. After the Al-Haramain Foundation was shut down as an al-Qaida front, the official left its U.S. branch in Portland, Ore., and returned to Saudi Arabia. He now works for the city of Riyadh. The Saudis were supposed to create a commission to police such charities. We're still waiting. Meanwhile, Saudi charities continue to pump millions into the global jihad. U.S. officials say al-Qaida's resurgence is due in part to a renewed flow of money from the kingdom to operations in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq. Riyadh continues to look the other way as cash is sent from mosques and charities to support jihadists and Sunni insurgents next door in Iraq. It's official Saudi policy, moreover, to ignore the flow of Saudi fighters joining the jihad in Iraq. Lost in all the saber rattling over Iran is the inconvenient fact that the majority of suicide bombers in Iraq are from Saudi Arabia. Administration officials concede Saudi's role in Iraq has grown "counterproductive," one of many euphemisms used to avoid alienating the Saudi royal family. Under other circumstances, such behavior might be called acts of war. After all, this is the old home of Enemy No. 1, Osama bin Laden, and 15 of the hijackers he ordered to attack us. It's highly likely that some of the Saudi nationals killing our troops in Iraq may be recycled al-Qaida terrorists. Last December, we agreed to release into the custody of Saudi authorities 29 Saudi killers from Gitmo. What did they do with them? Jail them? Work them over for information about new terror plots or leads on other terrorists? No, Saudi police freed all 29 of them. That now makes 53 Gitmo terrorists we've returned to Saudi Arabia only to watch them go free. Some have rejoined the battlefield after being released.The Saudi government wants the remaining Saudis held at Gitmo returned. No doubt all of them will be set loose too. Saudi Arabia's promise to crack down on terrorists is as empty as its vow to clean up its hateful textbooks calling for jihad against infidels. With friends like the Saudis, who needs enemies? [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. 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