Posted on 07/08/2006 6:02:30 AM PDT by FreedomNeocon
WASHINGTON — The Bush administration has confirmed that Saudi financiers are backing the new regime with ties to Al Qaida that has taken power in Somalia. Officials said the so-called Islamic Courts Union, headed by an Al Qaida commander wanted by the United States, has garnered most of its foreign support from Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
"I don't want to say the Saudi government is supporting any particular [Islamic] court," Assistant Secretary of State Jendayi Frazer said. "But I do know that there is money coming in from Saudi Arabia."
On June 29, Frazer told the House International Relations Committee that, despite U.S. opposition, Saudi funding was reaching the Al Qaida-aligned movement in Somalia. She said another U.S. ally, Yemen, has sent weapons to the new Islamic regime in Mogadishu.
"There is money coming in from Yemen and arms from Eritrea and other places [into Somalia],'' Frazer said.
The administration has not yet determined that the Saudi government sent funds to Al Qaida in Somalia. But Saudi nationals and Somalis who work in the kingdom are providing the money, sources said.
Frazer said the State Department has urged Saudi Arabia, Yemen and other Arab League states to end support for the Islamic Courts Union. She did not suggest any penalties against Saudi Arabia or Yemen for helping ICU, headed by Hassan Dahir Aweys, termed an Al Qaida associate by the United States.
"We definitely want to reach out to the governments of Saudi Arabia, Yemen and others in the Middle East," Frazer said.
The Saudi funds and Yemeni weapons helped defeat the U.S.-backed secular militia in Mogadishu. For the past few weeks the new Islamic regime has been preparing an offensive on the United Nations-backed transitional government in Baidoa.
"The strategic objective here is to prevent an attack on Baidoa,'' Frazer said.
John Prendergast, co-director of the International Crisis Group's Africa program, told the House panel that the United States should negotiate with ICU. Prendergast said the first demand by Washington and its allies should be for an international investigation of ICU links with Al Qaida.
"The U.S. government and its international partners should engage with the courts [ICU] in a way that reinforces moderate conduct," Prendergast said. "First on the agenda for communication with the courts should be its standing invitation for an international inquiry into its [ICU's] alleged links to terrorism and the suspected presence of Al Qaida suspects in areas under its control."
But they're our friends!
Another thought: maybe the recent post re: maids who are "running away" from SA are actually being "transferred" to Somalia too.
The saudi's are no more our friends than Russia, China , or Mexico.
Well as of right now they are saying they can't prove that it is the Saudi Gov't transfering funds... just that is it is Saudi's and Somali's within Saudi Arabia doing it.
Though I suspect such is alwyas the case in these crazy arabic family dynasty monarchy kinda' thing. Quite literally someone's brother and nephew inside the ruling family could do this, becuase they are all high ranking officials in gov't, while the King and his inner circle could be true allies of the US.
Anyway, a possible silver lining is that I'm sure alot of jihadis will be choosing Somalia over Iraq for their summer vacation.
Religion of peace my arse BUMP!
Wrong. The headline should read: US Oil Company Money Backs Al Quida in Somalia.
The Saudis would still be herding goats in the desert if it weren't for US oil companies finding oil there. Ultimately, US citizens are digging their own graves at the oil pumps when we fill up with Wahabi oil.
A stern letter of condemnation is probably being drafted as we speak.
Saudi Arabia, as a society, is totally duplicitious.
Saudi money has all along been involved with Al Queda.
Listen to a Saudi Wahabi cleric at any school or radio/TV program, or newspaper in Saudi Arabia and you don't hear anything different than you do from Osama - the "infidels" of the "west", "the Jews" control the U.S. Congress, the U.S. media, etc., etc., Jerusalem in its entirety must be recaptures for Islam, a truly good Muslim must live in a Muslim ruled society, etc., etc. etc.... ad infinitum.
Saudi money is derived predominately from oil but has been invested in dozens of other industries and hundreds of countries around the world over the last 30 years - $$billions and $$billions.
That has made the 25,000 or so members of the Saudi royal family and thousands more of their Saudi business partners extragavently wealthy.
Internally, those thousands are as fractured in their attitudes towards the west as the U.S. Congress is in its positions on any number of topics.
So, the Saudi Royals who have the official reigns of government can take the public position they do towards the west, while thousands beneath them can have totally different opinions and the financial means and international connections to independently match their opinions with actions - financial actions, predominately (they don't want to get their own hands dirty).
And even officially, it was Saudi money sent to Pakistan that funded the Taliban and it is Saudi money that built and supports the radical Wahabi Madrassas for the millions of poor young men in Pakistan, and in Asia, Africa, now Kosovo, England, France and even, yes even here in the U.S.
And, with or without funding, it is the radical Islam of the Wahabis that create the political Islam that leads young Muslim men to become future foot soldiers for the terrorists.
The Saudis, as a society, are not our friends.
Even when and where the Royals work with us on specific Al Queda terrorists, it is only to save their own necks when Al Queda upsets them internally. You can bet, if Al Queda would lay off its attacks inside Saudi Arabia, we would probably have zero co-operation with them on specific terrorists who we believed were in their country.
If Saudi Arabia never reforms, the devils pact between the Royals and the Wahabi clerics will eventually collapse in open civil war between the Royals and money men that have always backed Al Queda and the Royals at the top who still think they are in charge.
The best thing we could do for ourselves is to advance that possibility so that we can then deal with its outcome - either a group of Royals ready and willing to become real moderates, having defeated the Wahabi-cleric-backed Royals and others that fund Al Queda, or a new Taliban style regime to which we can then consign the Saudi penninsula to the stone age.
Frankly, if and when the madman in Iran can ever be overthrown by his own people and if they were to join with a democratic Iraq, then Islam would have its own civil war with us siding with the Shia of Iran and Iraq.
Keep it up Saudi Royals, you will push us all there yet.
With "friends" like the Saudi's we couldn't do much worse could we?
The entire War on Terror and the existence of al Quaeda is largely a Saudi export of their own internal conflicts. Secondly, they aggressively export Wahabbism around the world, and most mosques here in the USA are funded with Saudi money. Take Saudi money and you get Wahabbi imams too.
Praise you for the truth that almost everyone refuses to acknowledge.
Stick to your guns. WE are the enemy.
Always have been.
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