US says pulling virtually all military from Saudi

Reuters | 4/29/03

[kattracks]

US says pulling virtually all military from Saudi

PRINCE SULTAN AIRBASE, Saudi Arabia, April 29 (Reuters) - The United States said on Tuesday it was ending military operations in Saudi Arabia and removing virtually all of its forces from the kingdom by mutual agreement after the Iraq war.

Asked if Saudi Arabia had requested the move, a senior U.S. official told reporters travelling with U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on his tour of the Gulf: "It was by very mutual agreement."

"When you no longer have Southern Watch, then its self-evident that you no longer need bodies here," the official said, referring to the "no-fly" operations over southern Iraq launched by the Americans after the Gulf War in 1991.

Only some U.S. personnel involved in training would remain.

U.S. officials said earlier that the United States had begun moving operations of a key combat air control centre from the Prince Sultan airbase to neighbouring Qatar.

04/29/03 05:07 ET

[MEG33]

Wonder if our military will have as many rules(Islamic).

[patriciaruth]

Anyone know what our deployment in the FRY is now? (The Former Republic of Yugoslavia)

Last I heard, about a half a year ago, we were drawing down below 3000.

The fun will be when we start drawing down from that other U.N. mess....Korea.

Anyone else notice that when the U.N. is involved, the deployment never ends?

[TigerLikesRooster]

This will remove some political liability from America.
America now has a freer hand to deal with her enemies in the region.

[Kozak]

Hope we also pull all technical and supply help from our Saudi "allies". Let the camel humpers try and maintain those f 15's and AWACS on their own.

[AmericaUnited]

Let there be no mistake, this is to punish the Saudi and strip them naked.

[KC_Conspirator]

I agree we will have a freer hand oncwe we vacate Saudi soil, but I would argue that we would ahve even a more free hand if we turned south and took care of the Wahhabists who fund all the terrorism.

[TigerLikesRooster]

RE #7

Sometimes it is better to take one step back and two steps forward. I think that is what is happening.

[11B3]

So many Islamonazis, so little time. The 4th ID might as well do something big while they're over there. If the 3rd ID + 1 MEU took Iraq, seems as though the 4th should be able to handle Saudi Arabia. Or Syria. (Not too long ago the Syrian military had to resort to stealing ammo and spare parts from the Lebanese Army. That speaks volumes about Syria.)

The BIG question in the middle east is the long-term stability of the regime in Egypt. If Mubarek is ever assasinated by the jihadists, there will be trouble with Egypt again - this time armed with Abrams tanks in large quantities and a large WMD program of their own.

[wayoverontheright]

The Saudis are BIG losers here.

We've been paying billions annually as payola to get them to allow us to maintain the base there and to curry favor with the leading member of OPEC. The base leaves, OPEC dies, the US saves enough in bribe money to pay for the war in three years.

Do the positive benefits of this war never cease?

[2right]

If Bin Laden is still alive this should please him very much.

[randita]

Our troops in Saudi Arabia insulated the royal family from the militant Islamists. The royal family and the Islamists enjoy a very uneasy truce. The royal family provides lots of money to the Islamists and turns a blind eye to their terrorists connections in return for the Islamists allowing the royal family to maintain their position.

The U.S. has told Crown Prince Amadalla (or whatever his name is) that they're on their own now. I'd expect the royal family in Saudi Arabia to eventually go the way the Shah of Iran went.

Now that we have access to Iraqi oil, we are not as dependent on stability in Saudi Arabia. Also we now longer need to guard SA against invasion by Iraq. We'll keep an eye on things there, but we've effectively cut them loose.

[ChemistCat]

We have a real ally there now, though we had to MAKE it ourselves.

Saudi is now under no threat that requires us. We may go. That's all.

[zechariah]

bump

[z]

[scan59]

Going soon. U.S. reliance on Saudi oil. No longer will America be held hostage by OPEC.

[Mr. Jeeves]

Only some U.S. personnel involved in training would remain.

They should be the first ones to go. Training future Wahabbist saboteurs is not my idea of international relations.

[Rummyfan]

So long to Prince Sultan Air Base! Had the pleasure of working there for almost two years. Lovely town Al Kharj (not!).

[ex-snook]

Well better late than never. If Bush had removed these bases and started the 'road map' two years ago, 9/11 would never have happened. Live and learn, I hope.

[Cyber Liberty]

I wish we could take the airbase with us.

[Mister Magoo]

No, this can't be. Al-Jazeera told me we were there to occupy the Islamic holy sites and to dominate the world.