Today's Wild Geese: Foreign Fighters in the GWOT

[RJO]

Not sure if this AFP news report (15 July 2007) has been noted here:

Most foreign fighters and suicide bombers in Iraq come from Saudi Arabia, despite attempts by US officials to portray Syria and Iran as the main culprits of violence, a US newspaper reported Sunday.

Citing an unnamed senior US military officer and Iraqi lawmakers, the Los Angeles Times newspaper said about 45 percent of all foreign militants targeting US troops and Iraqi security forces were from Saudi Arabia, 15 percent from Syria and Lebanon, and 10 percent from North Africa

RJO

[SteveMetz]

Not sure if this AFP news report (15 July 2007) has been noted here:



RJO

I think this reinforces the point I've been trying to make--the Saudis act like they're trying to catch extremists at the same time that they tolerate and even promote the ideology which inspires them. It's like our government arresting people who smoke pot at the same time that they provide everyone with a copy of "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle"

[Ski]

Either way, it removes a threat from the Saudi government. They go off to Iraq to fight, most of them die or are captured, so there's one less opposition member to worry about.

Of course, this is a delaying action. Enough of them will come back to Saudi in time to create problems. But the short term results benefit the House of Saud just fine.

[SteveMetz]

Either way, it removes a threat from the Saudi government. They go off to Iraq to fight, most of them die or are captured, so there's one less opposition member to worry about.

Of course, this is a delaying action. Enough of them will come back to Saudi in time to create problems. But the short term results benefit the House of Saud just fine.

I think you've nailed Saudi strategy. They rely on us to kill their excess militants for them. And it irks me to no end that we play along.

[Tom Odom]

I think you've nailed Saudi strategy. They rely on us to kill their excess militants for them. And it irks me to no end that we play along.

Agreed. It is much the same with government policy in Egypt where radical venting against the West and Israel is allowed to bleed off any pressure on the government.

Tom

[Ken White]

line numerous times in our history. Penalty of being nice guys. That's fine and we should be like that but we could sure be a bit smarter about it...

[Firestaller]

line numerous times in our history. Penalty of being nice guys. That's fine and we should be like that but we could sure be a bit smarter about it...

I don't think that we're in the Middle East because we're "nice guys."


The Middle East serves our economic strategic interest ... the question is "how much of this interest are we willing to take?"

[Granite_State]

I think you've nailed Saudi strategy. They rely on us to kill their excess militants for them. And it irks me to no end that we play along.

And they get the side benefit of killing Shiites and potential Iranian allies in the process. Two birds with one stone.