FUTURE KING BIN NAYEF
It was 1996 and not a good time for the Americans in Khobar Saudi Arabia as they suffered the results of the terrorist bomb at Khobar Towers Residence of the U.S. Military base in Saudi. That attack killed 19 U.S. service personnel and wounded almost 500. It was the deadliest such attack since the 1983 bombing of the U.S. marines barracks in Beirut that killed 241 American servicemen.
It did not take long for the responsibility of the attack to lead to Iran in its war to over throw the Sunni government on Saudi. At this time the young Prince bin Nayef was being groomed by his father Prince Nayef the long time Ministry of the Interior in Saudi. The Nayef family had a hold on the Interior Ministry, as his the It was 1996 and not a good time for the Americans in Khobar Saudi Arabia as they suffered the results of the terrorist bomb at Khobar Towers Residence of the U.S. Military base in Saudi. That attack killed 19 U.S. service personnel and wounded almost 500. It was the deadliest such attack since the 1983 bombing of the U.S. marines barracks in Beirut that killed 241 American servicemen.
It did not take long for the responsibility of the attack to lead to Iran in its war to over throw the Sunni government on Saudi. At this time the young Prince bin Nayef was being groomed by his father, Prince Nayef, the long time Ministry of the Interior in Saudi. The Nayef family had a hold on the Interior Ministry, as is the custom in Saudi, with a son of the first generation leadership assuming control after the death of the father.
In 2001 the U.S. government charged 13 people with the attack and one of those Al-Mughassil, also know as Abu Omran, was one of the key planners of the attack. The attackers were Shiite and part of the Saudi Hezbollah extremist group founded with the help of Iran and after the attack many fled to Iran.
As the young bin Nayef took on the role of protecting the Kingdom from the terrorist in 2004 he didn’t just look at he current problem but he looked for those who had been problem in the past and the 13 attackers on the Americans were in his sights. As he came down hard on the current al Qaeda terrorist he didn’t forget those from the past who had given a black eye on Saudi with the attack on the Americans.
Like the Israelis the Saudi don’t forget and their reach is long and patient. As they battled Iran across the Middle East and particular in Lebanon they were watching for their targets to surface and they hit pay dirt as their intelligence assets gave them a heads up that Abu would be on a plane landing in Beirut.
They were waiting for him and he is in there custody. Bin Nayef will continue the hunt as the Interior Minster and as future King and he shows his concern and friendship with the Americans. Also don’t under estimate the connection and co-ordination between Saudi and Israeli Intelligence. We here a lot here about the brutal interrogations of the Saudi and others but I viewed some of the interview videos and they were enhanced but not brutal. If these enhanced techniques had not been used I suspect Saudi would have experienced many more attacks that they were able to stop before they happened.
One of the first things I learned about the average Saudi Citizen is their love and support for the Americans and they are thankful for the early help the American were to their country. Yes, there are those in the royal family and government who aren’t as generous with their thanks but they are a minority.
I have made the statement for many years that if we could get governments and politicians out of the way and have ordinary people set down and talk we could solve the worlds problems. I have experienced a little of that by being a Christian with ties to Israel in the late 70’s in Northern Israel and Lebanon and then to Riyadh where my background in known but when trust is build we can talk and discuss solutions to problem even through we are from different religions and upbringing.
I love to be able to say My Best Friends are in Saudi, Israel, Hong Kong, Europe ect. If we take the radicals out of the picture no matter where there are found most of the rest of us all want the same basic things from life. Some of those things are the opportunity to leave our children something better the we had.
It is has been said Knowledge is power stronger then Military and if we as American set our own personal course to being more aware of what the facts really are and not depending on the press or politicians, we can change our world.
Until Next time Be Safe:
Phil