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1 posted on 02/05/2016 2:02:21 PM PST by MinorityRepublican
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To: MinorityRepublican

This would be interesting to see. When was the last time Saudi ground troops fought in a conflict?


2 posted on 02/05/2016 2:04:23 PM PST by Jimmy Valentine (DemocRATS - when they speak, they lie; when they are silent, they are stealing the American Dream)
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To: MinorityRepublican
US-led coalition?

Save your oil money, Abdullah.

4 posted on 02/05/2016 2:04:49 PM PST by Slyfox (Ted Cruz does not need the presidency - the presidency needs Ted Cruz)
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To: MinorityRepublican

I thought the Saudi’s were supporting ISIS. It’s all pretty confusing there.


5 posted on 02/05/2016 2:06:51 PM PST by MNDude (God is not a Republican, but Satan is certainly a Democrat.)
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6 posted on 02/05/2016 2:07:14 PM PST by DoughtyOne (the Free Republic Caucus: what FReepers are thinking, 100s or 1000s of them. It's up to you.)
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To: MinorityRepublican

Something is amiss here. Looks like the somebody is trying to knock off Syria s secular dictatorship.


7 posted on 02/05/2016 2:08:25 PM PST by Fhios (circa 2016: Truth will be outlawed unless pre-approved.)
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To: MinorityRepublican

Israels neighborhood is getting mighty crowded.


8 posted on 02/05/2016 2:08:30 PM PST by ResponseAbility (The truth of liberalism is the stupid can feel smart, the lazy entitled, and the immoral unashamed)
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To: MinorityRepublican

What a mess!

The Middle East. Europe. The US.

No wonder Boris is smiling.


9 posted on 02/05/2016 2:08:57 PM PST by NormsRevenge (SEMPER FI!! - Monthly Donors Rock!!)
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To: MinorityRepublican
Re: Saudi Arabia willing to send ground troops to Syria

Okay-- Which side... will they fight for?

11 posted on 02/05/2016 2:09:55 PM PST by Bender2 ("I've got a twisted sense of humor, and everything amuses me." RAH Beyond this Horizon)
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To: MinorityRepublican

My A$$.

Saudi weenies won’t fly actual bombing runs.

Who are they going to attack, anyhow, the Russians?

I don’t think so.


12 posted on 02/05/2016 2:10:47 PM PST by Uncle Miltie ("First comes the legalization. Then come the measures to secure the border." Rubio.)
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To: MinorityRepublican

***Saudi’s air force has targeted ISIL with air strikes since the campaign began***

Let me guess...the Saudis are about as effective against ISIL as the US.


16 posted on 02/05/2016 2:12:44 PM PST by ResponseAbility (The truth of liberalism is the stupid can feel smart, the lazy entitled, and the immoral unashamed)
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To: MinorityRepublican

OMG, Saudi Arabia wants to get off its ass! Maybe they should also take some more Islam refugees so the Democrat Party has less of an excuse to import them.


19 posted on 02/05/2016 2:18:26 PM PST by TraditionalMerica
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To: MinorityRepublican

they’ve been sending ground troops
aka “al Qaeda”


20 posted on 02/05/2016 2:21:19 PM PST by silverleaf (Age takes a toll: Please have exact change)
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To: MinorityRepublican

Battle of Khafji (Desert Storm):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Khafji


Distressed by the occupation of Khafji, Saudi commander General Khaled bin Sultan appealed to American General Norman Schwarzkopf for an immediate air campaign against Iraqi forces in and around the city. However this was turned down because the buildings will make it difficult for aircraft to spot targets without getting too close. It was instead decided that the city would be retaken by Arab ground forces.[75] The task fell to the 2nd Saudi Arabian National Guard Brigade’s 7th Battalion, composed of Saudi infantry and two Qatari tank companies attached to the task force.[76] These were supported by U.S. Army Special Forces and Marine Reconnaissance personnel.[77]

The force was put under the command of Saudi Lieutenant Colonel Matar, who moved out by 17:00 hours. The force met up with elements of the U.S. 3rd Marine Regiment, south of Khafji, and were ordered to directly attack the city.[78] The engagement of that night was to be the first battle the Qatari Army had seen in its entire history.[79] A platoon of Iraqi T-55s attacked a Qatari tank company south of the city, leading to the destruction of three T-55s by Qatari AMX-30s, and the capture of a fourth Iraqi tank.[80] Lacking any coordinated artillery support,[79] artillery fire was provided by the 10th Marine Regiment.[80]

An initial attack on the city was called off after the Iraqi occupants opened up with heavy fire, prompting the Saudis to reinforce the 7th Battalion with two more companies from adjacent Saudi units.[81] The attempt to retake the city had been preceded by a 15-minute preparatory fire from U.S. Marine artillery. However Iraqi fire did manage to destroy one Saudi V-150 armored personnel carrier.[82]

Meanwhile, 2nd Saudi Arabian National Guard Brigade’s 5th Battalion moved north of Khafji to block Iraqi reinforcements attempting to reach the city. This unit was further bolstered by the 8th Ministry of Defense and Aviation Brigade, and heavily aided by Coalition air support. Although fear of friendly fire forced the 8th Ministry of Defense and Aviation Brigade to pull back the following morning, Coalition aircraft successfully hindered Iraqi attempts to move more soldiers down to Khafji and caused large numbers of Iraqi troops to surrender to Saudi forces.[82]

That night, two U.S. Army heavy equipment transporters entered the city of Khafji, apparently lost, and were fired upon by Iraqi troops. Although one truck managed to turn around and escape, the two drivers of the second truck were wounded and captured. This led to a rescue mission organized by 3rd Battalion 3rd Marine Regiment, which sent a force of 30 men to extract the two wounded drivers. Although encountering no major opposition, they did not find the two drivers who had, by this time, been taken prisoner. The Marines did find a burnt out Qatari AMX-30, with its dead crew.[83] That same night, a U.S. Air Force AC-130 was shot down by an Iraqi surface-to-air missile (SAM), killing the aircraft’s crew of 14.[84]

The interdiction on the part of Coalition aircraft and Saudi and Qatari ground forces was having an effect on the occupying Iraqi troops. Referring to Saddam Hussein’s naming of the ground engagement as the “mother of all battles”, Iraqi General Salah radioed in a request to withdraw, stating, “The mother was killing her children.”[85] Since the beginning of the battle, Coalition aircraft had flown at least 350 sorties against Iraqi units in the area and on the night of 30-31 January, Coalition air support also began to attack units of the Iraqi Third Corps assembled on the Saudi border.[86]
Recapture of Khafji: 31 January - 1 February

On 31 January, the effort to retake the city began anew. The attack was launched at 08:30 hours, and was met by inaccurate Iraqi fire which knocked-out two Saudi V-150 wheeled vehicles.[87] The 8th battalion of the Saudi brigade was ordered to deploy to the city by 10:00 hours, while 5th Battalion to the north engaged another column of Iraqi tanks attempting to reach the city. The latter engagement led to the destruction of around 13 Iraqi tanks and armored personnel carriers, and the capture of 6 more vehicles and 116 Iraqi soldiers, costing the Saudi battalion two dead and two wounded. The 8th Battalion engaged the city from the northeast, linking up with 7th Battalion. These units cleared the southern portion of the city, until 7th Battalion withdrew south to rest and rearm at 18:30 hours, while the 8th remained in Khafji.[88]

The 8th continued clearing buildings and by the time the 7th had withdrawn to the south, the Saudis had lost approximately 18 dead and 50 wounded, as well as seven V-150 vehicles. Coalition aircraft continued to provide heavy support throughout the day and night.[89] A veteran of the Iran-Iraq War later mentioned that Coalition airpower “imposed more damage on his brigade in half an hour than it had sustained in eight years of fighting against the Iranians.”[90] During the battle, an Iraqi amphibious force was sent to land on the coast and move into Khafji. As the boats made their way through the Persian Gulf towards Khafji, American and British aircraft caught the Iraqi boats in the open and largely destroyed the Iraqi amphibious force.[91]

The Saudi and Qatari units renewed operations the following day. Two Iraqi companies, with about 20 armored vehicles, remained in the city and had not attempted to break out during the night. While the Saudi 8th Battalion continued operations in the southern portion of the city, the 7th Battalion began to clear the northern sector of the city. Iraqi resistance was sporadic and most Iraqi soldiers surrendered on sight; as a result, the city was recaptured on 1 February 1991.[92]


23 posted on 02/05/2016 2:25:16 PM PST by Zhang Fei (Let us pray that peace be now restored to the world and that God will preserve it always.)
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To: MinorityRepublican

Why would Saudi Arabia risk the destruction of its oil infrastructure by the Russians to throw Assad out of Syria?


27 posted on 02/05/2016 3:02:00 PM PST by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer")
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