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<p>During the Iraq war, Saudi Arabia helped the United States with far more assistance than has been acknowledged, allowing operations from at least three air bases, permitting U.S. Special Forces troops to stage attacks from Saudi soil and providing cheap fuel, U.S. and Saudi officials said.</p>

WASHINGTON - During the Iraq (news - web sites) war, Saudi Arabia secretly helped the United States far more than has been acknowledged, allowing operations from at least three air bases, permitting special forces to stage attacks from Saudi soil and providing cheap fuel, U.S. and Saudi officials say. The American air campaign against Iraq was essentially managed from inside Saudi borders, where military commanders operated an air command center and launched refueling tankers, F-16 fighter jets, and sophisticated intelligence gathering flights, according to the officials. Much of the assistance has been kept quiet for more than a year by...

Saudi Arabia Quietly Helping U.S. in War By DONNA ABU-NASR .c The Associated Press RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) - Saudi Arabia woke up to a war it has for months been trying to avert. But despite its opposition and repeated assertions it won't take part, the kingdom has quietly been helping the United States set up for the conflict. Thousands of U.S. troops have deployed near the border with Iraq and in a garrison town in the north. More of them have been deployed at an air base near Riyadh, the capital. And 3,300 Saudi soldiers are in Kuwait as...