Saudi Arabia to spend millions to train more terrorists

 Saudi Arabia is preparing to spend millions of dollars to arm and train thousands of terrorists  in a new national terrorist force to slaughter the more of innocent civilians in Syria, according to the Guardian.

Syrian, Arab and western sources say the intensifying Saudi effort is focused on Jaysh al-Islam (the Army of Islam or JAI), created in late September by a union of 43 terrorist groups.

According to one unconfirmed report the JAI will be trained with Pakistani help, and estimates of its likely strength range from 5,000 to more than 50,000.

The Saudi intelligence chief, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, is also pressing the US to drop its objections to supplying anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles to the JAI. Jordan is being urged to allow its territory to be used as a supply route into neighboring Syria, the Daily underlined.

In return, diplomats say, Riyadh is encouraging the JAI to accept the authority of the US and western-backed Supreme Military Council, led by Salim Idriss, and the Syrian Opposition Coalition.

Saudi Arabia has long called publicly for arming the anti-Syrians terrorists and has bridled at US caution. It has been playing a more assertive role since September’s US-Russian agreement on chemical weapons – which it saw as sparing Syria from US-led air strikes and granting it a degree of international rehabilitation.

Saudi assertiveness has grown along with unhappiness over US policy towards Syria and Iran, the kingdom’s regional rival.

“The Saudi leadership should be careful what it creates in Syria,” Yezid Sayegh of the Carnegie Foundation warned in a recent commentary. “Muhammad’s Army may eventually come home to Mecca.” 

M.A.