WikiLeaks cables portray Saudi Arabia as a cashpoint for terrorists

[Joanne98]

Saudi Arabia is the world's largest source of funds for Islamist militant groups such as the Afghan Taliban and Lashkar-e-Taiba – but the Saudi government is reluctant to stem the flow of money, according to Hillary Clinton.

"More needs to be done since Saudi Arabia remains a critical financial support base for al-Qaida, the Taliban, LeT and other terrorist groups," says a secret December 2009 paper signed by the US secretary of state. Her memo urged US diplomats to redouble their efforts to stop Gulf money reaching extremists in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

"Donors in Saudi Arabia constitute the most significant source of funding to Sunni terrorist groups worldwide," she said.

Three other Arab countries are listed as sources of militant money: Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.

The cables highlight an often ignored factor in the Pakistani and Afghan conflicts: that the violence is partly bankrolled by rich, conservative donors across the Arabian Sea whose governments do little to stop them.

The problem is particularly acute in Saudi Arabia, where militants soliciting funds slip into the country disguised as holy pilgrims, set up front companies to launder funds and receive money from government-sanctioned charities.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/05/wikileaks-cables-saudi-terrorist-funding

[bullimiami]

1. Virtually every document Wikileaks has is just confirmation of something we already know.

[tanyev]

2. There's a reason the Bush administration redacted 28 pages of the 9/11 report.

[stray cat]

5. But we all know Saudis pay for terrorism - and it is talked about freely on tv by everyone

[madrchsod]

3. nothing new but it shows why...

the saudi`s were flown out of the usa.

[stray cat]

4. We also know about gravity

[colbertforpresident]

6. So why again

after 9-11 did we attack Afganistan and Iraq? Oh yeah oil and natural gas!

[truth2power]

7. And have you noticed how the words, "pipeline" "oil" or "gas" are never uttered

by Pres. Obama or by the WH Press Corpse? I wonder why that is?