| Ivo Skoric on Thu, 27 Sep 2001 23:57:14 +0200 (CEST) |
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| [Nettime-bold] (Fwd) Fw: War on Terrorism: Saudi Arabia - Saudis turn their b |
Exploring Saudi-Taliban connection (Osama never call Saudi Arabia by that name, though: he rather calls it The Land of Two Holy Places - despising Saudi royal family). ivo ------- Forwarded Message Follows ------- >Date: Wed, 26 Sep 2001 12:12:46 -0400 > >Subject: War on Terrorism: Saudi Arabia - Saudis turn their backs on the > >Taliban, a monster they helped create > > > > > > > > War on Terrorism: Saudi Arabia - > > Saudis turn their backs on the > > Taliban, a monster they helped > > create > > > > > > The Independent - United Kingdom, > > Sep 26, 2001 > > BY ROBERT FISK MIDDLE EAST > > CORRESPONDENT > > > > > > THE SAUDIS, who helped to create > > the Taliban regime in > > Afghanistan, thereby spawning a > > baby that turned into a monster, > > severed all diplomatic ties with > > the Kabul government yesterday. > > > > > > Their decision, which ended seven > > years of shameless Saudi support > > for the most obscurantist and > > cruel regime in the region, came > > scarcely a month after the Saudi > > Royal Family fired the man who > > did more than any individual to > > cement the Taliban's power in > > Afghanistan: Prince Turki bin > > Feisel al-Saud, the head of the > > Saudi secret service. > > > > > > Saudi Arabia's break with the > > Taliban ends a relationship that > > embarrassed the Saudis as much as > > it infuriated the United States - > > even though it was studiously > > ignored by US administrations and > > the American media. > > > > > > The links began in 1994 when > > Saudi and other Arab princes flew > > to Afghanistan's second city of > > Kandahar for a hunting > > expedition, bringing with them > > jeeps, money and an entire mobile > > phone system for their Afghan > > hosts. Among them was Prince > > Turki, who was not only a close > > acquaintance of Osama bin Laden > > but had enthusiastically embraced > > Mr bin Laden's original call for > > Arab fighters to join the war > > against the Russians in 1980. > > > > > > Prince Turki had first promoted > > the Wahhabi Sunni Muslim Taliban > > - reared in the ignorance of the > > Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan > > - as adherents to the al-Saud > > family sect and a counter-balance > > to the Shia Muslim Hazara tribe > > of Afghanistan, which was > > supported by Iran. Wahhabism, a > > form of "pure" Islam first > > preached in the 18th century by > > Abdul Wahab - whose daughter's > > marriage to an al-Saud sealed the > > alliance between the theological > > zealot and the future rulers of > > Saudi Arabia - enforced strict > > sharia religious law, which was > > applied with obsessional relish > > by the Pashtun- speaking Taliban. > > > > > > The Saudis had few doubts about > > supporting them. Mr bin Laden's > > flight from Sudan to Afghanistan > > in 1995 placed him under Taliban, > > and therefore Saudi, control. > > > > > > There are many accounts of the > > Arab hunt for game birds - > > bustards in this case - around > > Kandahar and of the Arab princes' > > generosity to the Taliban. > > According to the Pakistani > > journalist Ahmad Rashid, whose > > 20- year study of Afghanistan, > > Taliban, is probably the most > > authoritative source on the > > subject, the head of the > > Pakistani Jema'a Ulema Islami > > (Group of Islamic Religious > > Scholars), Maulana Faz-lur > > Rehman, organised the Arabs' > > trip. > > > > > > Within 18 months, Prince Turki > > had returned to Kandahar, this > > time to provide millions of > > dollars, vehicles and petrol for > > the Taliban assault on Kabul - > > the battle that finally drove the > > feuding and largely secular > > mujahedin guerrillas out of the > > city and led to the imposition of > > the ruthless religious laws that > > within months destroyed culture, > > entertainment, science and > > women's rights in most of > > Afghanistan. The involvement of > > two Saudi companies in a gas > > pipeline project across the > > country provided further reason > > for the Saudis to pursue their > > friendship. > > > > > > The Saudi religious leaders, the > > ulema, had insisted that the > > Royal Family should support the > > Taliban after they themselves had > > been forced to approve the > > presence of half a million US > > troops in the land of Mecca and > > Medina five years earlier. The > > ulema, including Sheikh Abdul > > Aziz bin Baz, the Grand Mufti and > > chairman of the Council of Senior > > Preachers, demanded Saudi support > > for the Taliban and preached in > > favour of its rule in Afghanistan > > in the madrassahs (religious > > schools) and mosques across Saudi > > Arabia. > > > > > > In April 1997, Mullah Rabbani, > > the Taliban leader, arrived in > > Riyadh to announce that "Saudi > > Arabia is the centre of the > > Muslim world [and] we would like > > to have Saudi assistance. King > > Fahd expressed happiness at the > > good measures [sic] taken by the > > Taliban and over the imposition > > of Sharia [law] in our country." > > According to Mr Rashid, the > > Saudis were now extremely > > reluctant to demand the return of > > Mr bin Laden. > > > > > > Ironically, the Iranians, who > > have always opposed the Taliban > > and their regime, had by 1996 > > found themselves in a position > > remarkably similar to that in > > which the US finds itself today. > > The Taliban had given sanctuary > > to Ahl-e-Sunnah Wal Jamaar, head > > of an opposition "terrorist" > > group that had been recruiting > > among Iranians around Khorasan, > > many of them from Iran's Baluchi, > > Turkmen and Afghan minorities. > > The Taliban gave the Iranians the > > same reply as they have done in > > response to demands for Mr bin > > Laden's expulsion: he is a Muslim > > "guest" and cannot be asked to > > leave. > > > > > > The state visit by Mohammad > > Khatami, the Iranian President, > > to Saudi Arabia in May 1999 > > doomed the Saudi- Taliban > > relationship. The Saudis had > > grown to distrust the Taliban's > > other prop, Pakistan, and were > > appalled at the massacre of > > Iranian diplomats by the Taliban > > in Mazar-I-Sharif in 1998. When > > Prince Turki paid one more visit > > to Kabul last year to demand the > > expulsion of Mr bin Laden, he was > > brusquely told to leave. > > > > > > But the ghost of Wahhabism > > continued to haunt Afghanistan. > > In Saudi Arabia, there had long > > been rumours that members of the > > Royal Family were in the habit of > > "marrying" a new wife each year > > and discarding an older wife to > > make room for her. In Kabul, the > > Taliban are now reported to have > > adopted similar mores. Several > > families have said that squads of > > armed Taliban men have turned up > > at their door to take a daughter > > for an arranged marriage - to a > > husband who will then divorce > > another of his wives. Whether the > > habit was picked up from the > > Saudis, the kingdom has already > > done its best to make a final > > break with the Taliban. By > > cutting diplomatic ties with > > Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia is > > hoping the world will forget how > > culpable it was in the whole > > Taliban catastrophe. > > > > > > All Material Subject to Copyright > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ Nettime-bold mailing list Nettime-bold@nettime.org http://www.nettime.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/nettime-bold