US pulls military from Saudi in realignment

US military personnel in Saudi Arabia, which doubled to 10,000 from 5,000 during the Iraq war, have starting pulling out, the officials said.

Asked if Saudi Arabia had requested the move, a senior US official told reporters accompanying Rumsfeld on a tour of Gulf states: “It was by very mutual agreement.”

The presence of Western troops here — home to Islam’s holiest sites — has irked many Saudis, already angry with the US over its perceived bias to Israel. Ousting US troops from Saudi Arabia became the battle cry of Osama bin Laden and his Al Qaeda network, blamed by Washington for the September 11, 2001 attacks. “It certainly means the US s rid of a huge problem,” Charles Heyman, editor of Jane’s World Armies said.

‘‘There has been agitation for a very long time from inside Saudi Arabia. And it was one of Al Qaeda’s demands as well for foreign forces to be removed from the holy ground of Saudi Arabia,” Heyman said.

Before leaving Prince Sultan airbase with General Tommy Franks, Rumsfeld told troops Washington wanted to keep a “continuing and healthy relationship with the Saudis”.

A small number of US personnel would remain to train Saudi soldiers, officials said.

“It is very significant. It reduces America’s dependence on Saudi Arabia and it throws open the opportunity for Iraq to become America’s favourite base in the region,” Defence analyst Paul Beaver said.

“But then it already has significant bases in Qatar and UAE so I actually don’t think it will make any military difference, but the politics are huge. This actually throws open (the question of US) support for Saudi Arabia and America’s whole attitude to it. It’s a very important event.” (Reuters)