''Saudi Fear of The Jihadi Armies They Create''

From 'There are no Sunglasses'

''For Saudi rulers, the prospect of combat-hardened militants returning to the kingdom recalls the blowback from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Islamist groups used skills acquired there in attacks targeting the Al Saud family’s control of the world’s largest oil reserves, and its alliance with the United States. To prevent a repeat, authorities are restricting aid to official channels while clamping down on private efforts to send cash or fighters.

“Saudi Arabia has learned a very extensive lesson from its experience with Afghanistan,” said Khalid al-Dakhil, a professor of political science at King Saud University in Riyadh. “If they allow their people to go on jihad, from Afghanistan to Iraq and now to Syria, they are allowing society to militarize themselves. The state can’t allow that.''

read more