Jaysh al-Islam led by Zahran Alloush

[Homajon]

The other thing I believe is that Saudi Arabia should invite talents from large Sunni Muslim countries in Special Forces and Military strategists, so they can train the Syrian volunteer untrained combatants and provide guidance and direction for the war, together with defected Syrian generals. Qasem Soleimani is directing the war on the other side, we need equally brilliant generals and team of strategists doing it in the opposition side.

So you believe that the "talents from large Sunni Muslim countries" will achieve what US and French Special Forces could not achieve?

 

[Yzd Khalifa]

I guess we ought to make the air a bit clear

I understand that you like to use some Arabic-terms to show how educated/bright you are, however, this time I guess your charming offensive personality failed you when you asserted us with the term " Gulfi " or Khaleeji

As a matter of fact, we don't call ourselves Guflies so put that back inside your pocket, nice try though.

It doesnt hurt to acknowledge that Bashar has outlasted even the most pessimistic estimate of the Khaleejis and is actually turning around the war while Saudi/Qatar are endlessly pouring money and weapons into the deep useless pit i.e., the rebels.

That contradicts your earlier post

I still see the rebels clashing with pro-Assad forces on daily basis!

So sorry! but I fail to understand your wishful-thinking logic at this point. When it comes to pouring arms, I guess both sides are being armed to the teeth, unless you believe that Assad's forces don't carry guns, then I guess you need to seek some help

And don't worry, we have enough money to feed a starving nation of your kind.

Actually I gather that Qatar has stopped being active and its Bandar's show all the way now

The source you gathered your info from probably tried to sell you an idea to make you feel more secure and happy

Oh and just for the record, there many other players in this conflict, one of them is what you probably hate the most.

Saudi should be very worried that the Army of Islam doesnt come knocking on the doors of Mecca..if you know what I mean

Only if you didn't know much about that army

I don't think KSA would need a bit of advice from someone like you, after all you are just another e-warrior.

We aren't the type of country where terrorists can play with us . The minute you snooze will be the one where these scums lose, unlike other countries.

We crushed the lives out of the Hauthi terrorists so did we in Bahrain, so history speaks for itself.

It doesnt hurt to acknowledge that Bashar has outlasted even the most pessimistic estimate of the Khaleejis and is actually turning around the war while Saudi/Qatar are endlessly pouring money and weapons into the deep useless pit i.e., the rebels. . Actually I gather that Qatar has stopped being active and its Bandar's show all the way now. Saudi should be very worried that the Army of Islam doesnt come knocking on the doors of Mecca..if you know what I mean

 

Well you are defending him because it suits your agenda otherwise most of his posts does not make any sense. Last I heard there is muslim ummah and he made Shia Ummah also.

Not defending everything he says, that an idiotic assumption. But many things he says are quite natural, and legitimate.

As a matter of fact, the vast majority of Muslims consider Shiiaism as a different faith from Islam. Religion is not my thing though.

 

[kalu_miah]

So you believe that the "talents from large Sunni Muslim countries" will achieve what US and French Special Forces could not achieve?

Yes. Two reasons:

1. The West wants to keep balance so both sides keep fighting and loosing blood and treasure, so they are not interested to help the opposition to win
2. US and France will never bring their own people to fight, because of 1 above, but that option is open for large Sunni Muslim countries

In short, Iran tried very hard for a total global Shia-Sunni war, and we should give it to them. 

^^^^^
You need to get rid of all these ridiculous sectarian conspiracy theories. Since when worthless words of an Israeli general about Iran are credible? They are almost always lying about Iran, and extremely biased.

The number of Iranian 'fighters' in Syria is perhaps no more than a mere 100, all of them going there voluntarily. We have the trainer or 'adviser' role in Syria. Iran has successfully helped to establish the NDF, National Defense Forces, in Syria which is a 40,000 men paramilitary group from native Syrians, inspired by IRGC doctrine. They are totally different from Iraqi militias or Hezbollah. You will hear much more about them in future. All of these happened only AFTER thousands of Jihadists and Takfiris rushed to Syria from more than 20 countries. Shias came in later.

Taqiya, as usual.

 

[Doritos11]

Yes. Two reasons:

1. The West wants to keep balance so both sides keep fighting and loosing blood and treasure, so they are not interested to help the opposition to win
2. US and France will never bring their own people to fight, because of 1 above, but that option is open for large Sunni Muslim countries

In short, Iran tried very hard for a total global Shia-Sunni war, and we should give it to them.

You will reach more offering alliances with no meddling in internal affairs, the opposite of what Iran does. A global Shia-Sunni war, do you know the divisions within Sunnis, Sunna has many extremists, you will burn your own countries.

Egypt for example can’t do what you suggest, Saudi Arabia has most likely the highest number of extreme Sunnis.

 

[kalu_miah]

You will reach more offering alliances with no meddling in internal affairs, the opposite of what Iran does. A global Shia-Sunni war, do you know the divisions within Sunnis, Sunna has many extremists, you will burn your own countries.

Egypt for example can’t do what you suggest, Saudi Arabia has most likely the highest number of extreme Sunnis.

Afghanistan and Pakistan was badly managed, hopefully this time it will be different, as lessons have been learnt from the past. And sometimes a little burning is needed to clear the soil, fertilize the soil and create a great new generation of trees in the forest.

 

[KS]

As a matter of fact, we don't call ourselves Guflies

So ?I find the term having a nice ring to it. So I'm going to stick with it.

That contradicts your earlier post

I still see the rebels clashing with pro-Assad forces on daily basis!

So sorry! but I fail to understand your wishful-thinking logic at this point. When it comes to pouring arms, I guess both sides are being armed to the teeth, unless you believe that Assad's forces don't carry guns, then I guess you need to seek some help

You are not making any sense. You are imagining something I didnt say and replying to it - in which case I dont have anything to say.

And don't worry, we have enough money to feed a starving nation of your kind.

Its ok..we do have poverty on one hand. Nothing demeaning in that. On the other hand, we are also only the third country to send an orbiter to Mars and the first one to do in the first attempt (fingers crossed). So yeah, if you have a nation of 1.2 billion you will have all kinds of people. And the important thing is our money is self made, not singularly because of the gamble of nature without which your "nation" would be just a patchwork of warring tribes living in tents in the desert.

The source you gathered your info from probably tried to sell you an idea to make you feel more secure and happy

Why would I be happy at that ? At this point I think you are just replying for the sake of it with absolutely no context, meaning whatsoever.

Oh and just for the record, there many other players in this conflict, one of them is what you probably hate the most.

Hate is a strong word - contempt would be the correct one.

 

[Yzd Khalifa]

So ?I find the term having a nice ring to it. So I'm going to stick with it.

You may stick to it, but we can always laugh at you ..

You are not making any sense. You are imagining something I didnt say and replying to it - in which case I dont have anything to say.

Not according to " the war had turned around " statement or the SAA is wiping the FSA out, or lying out the fact that one side is pouring arms while the other is fighting with stones and knives

Its ok..we do have poverty on one hand. Nothing demeaning in that. On the other hand, we are also only the third country to send an orbiter to Mars and the first one to do in the first attempt (fingers crossed). So yeah, if you have a nation of 1.2 billion you will have all kinds of people. And the important thing is our money is self made, not singularly because of the gamble of nature without which your "nation" would be just a patchwork of warring tribes living in tents in the desert.

I never spoke of India but personally to you. Unlike you, the statements that I make are co-related to the person I'm debating with, you on the other hand are nothing but a racist - usually racist people are inferior so no harm -

And sure, Good job India.

Why would I be happy at that ? At this point I think you are just replying for the sake of it with absolutely no context, meaning whatsoever.

Simply because you're passionately supporting a mass murderer. Thus, the news you gathered must have made you feel happy or secure as I stated earlier.

Hate is a strong word - contempt would be the correct one.

That isn't my problem, in other word, fill your boots.

So ?I find the term having a nice ring to it. So I'm going to stick with it.




You are not making any sense. You are imagining something I didnt say and replying to it - in which case I dont have anything to say.



Its ok..we do have poverty on one hand. Nothing demeaning in that. On the other hand, we are also only the third country to send an orbiter to Mars and the first one to do in the first attempt (fingers crossed). So yeah, if you have a nation of 1.2 billion you will have all kinds of people. And the important thing is our money is self made, not singularly because of the gamble of nature without which your "nation" would be just a patchwork of warring tribes living in tents in the desert.




Why would I be happy at that ? At this point I think you are just replying for the sake of it with absolutely no context, meaning whatsoever.



Hate is a strong word - contempt would be the correct one.

 

[kalu_miah]

Syrian rebels' competition for limited money and weapons turns brutal - CSMonitor.com

Syrian rebels' competition for limited money and weapons turns brutal

Kidnapping for ransom has become common between Syrian rebel groups competing for weapons to fight the Assad regime.

By Erin Banco, Contributor NOVEMBER 16, 2013

• 
  
  Khalil Ashawi/Reuters
  View Caption

ANTAKYA, TURKEY — Rebel leader Riad al-Ahmed did not die in battle against the Syrian Army, like so many fellow Free Syrian Army fighters. He was killed by other rebels in a clash over money and weapons.

As the war grinds on, resources for the opposition are in increasingly short supply, fueling clashes between factions over a share of the dwindling funds and arms. The competition for weapons across the border in Turkey is growing fiercer. Groups are resorting to kidnappings for ransom to bring in much-needed cash. Most of that money, rebel fighters said, goes toward purchasing weapons.

Mr. Ahmed was one of those kidnapped for ransom in January. Soon after, his captors released a grisly video showing his eye being pulled out and demanding a 300,000-euro ransom ($400,000). Three months later, his ransom unpaid, Ahmed was killed. Members of the opposition found his body in the mountains near the Syrian town of Jabal al-Akrad, 50 miles from the Turkish border, after weeks trying to locate his kidnappers.

Ahmed, a former Syrian Army officer from Latakia, is one of the highest profile leaders to be abducted, but dozens of lower ranking fighters have been kidnapped in the border region since the Syrian war began. Even less is known about their final days than Ahmed's.

“I remember during that time everyone told me, 'Riad got kidnapped. Be careful, you might be kidnapped, too.' I have heard of many other people who have been kidnapped. But we don’t always know about them because they didn’t have videos about their kidnapping like Riad did,” says Free Syrian Army spokesman Jameel Saeb.

RECOMMENDED: Monitor Frontier Markets Free Trial. Intelligent analysis on events in frontier/emerging countries.

The network of high-ranking opposition leaders establishing operations in Turkey has grown since Ahmed defected in 2011 and fled to Ankara, Turkey, with his wife and two children. Hatay Province has become a safe haven not only for Syrian refugees, but a strategic base for opposition fighters to buy supplies, including weapons, and ship them to the front lines. Before he was kidnapped, Ahmed was the leader of one of the largest and most organized rebel groups in northern Syria, known as the Peace Soldiers. The group set up headquarters in Turkey in spring 2011 and purchased mass amounts of weapons in Turkey to send into Syria.


In key Syrian city, snipers and bombing tear at fabric of daily life
When Ahmed was kidnapped, opposition members from several groups, including the FSA and the Syrian National Council, formed an informal committee to gather evidence and find the kidnappers. Members of Jabhat al-Nusra, an al-Qaeda linked opposition group, also helped the committee investigate Ahmed's kidnapping-- a unique collaboration that does not exist inside Syria. In Syria, Al-Nusra operates independently from all other opposition groups and gathers money and weapons from exclusive donors.

Rahman, who asked to be referred to only by his last name for security reasons, was a close friend of Ahmed’s and a member of the committee formed to investigate the case. He said they discovered Ahmed was kidnapped by a rival group using one of Ahmed’s contacts, who had lured him to a meeting. A fighter who was once accused of being a snitch for the Assad government before the war broke out was also implicated in their investigation.

Ahmed disappeared on Jan. 29. Members of the committee said the kidnappers knew Ahmed was wealthy and also had access to weapons. The committee did not make contact with him until the beginning of February, when he asked his brother to pay the ransom money. Just days later the YouTube video surfaced.

Saeb said the two men accused of kidnapping Ahmed were later detained by the committee and imprisoned on the border of Syria. They escaped during negotiations most likely with the help of a member inside of the committee, most likely someone affiliated with Jabhat al-Nusra, Saeb said.

Rahman said despite the growing danger in Turkey for opposition members, the country remains their key to winning the fight against President Bashar al-Assad.

“The only purpose of coming to Turkey is to finish the war and be free,” he said.

 

[kalu_miah]

Prince Bandar bin Sultan, Saudi Arabia’s Gatsby Master Spy

Photo by Hassan Ammar/AP
Prince Bandar bin Sultan, Saudi Arabia’s Gatsby, Master Spy

By Christopher Dickey
November 16th 20135:45 AM

Prince Bandar bin Sultan, once famous in Washington for his cigars, parties and charm, is now Saudi Arabia’s point man, fighting Iran in Syria and denouncing the Obama administration.

When the prince was the ambassador he was the toast of Washington, and plenty of toasts there were. Bandar bin Sultan smoked fine cigars and drank finer Cognac. For almost 30 years as Saudi Arabia’s regal messenger, lobbyist, and envoy, he told amazing stories about politicians and potentates, some of which, surprisingly, were true. Washington journalists loved him. Nobody had better access to more powerful people in higher places, or came with so much money, so quietly and massively distributed, to help out his friends.Prince Bandar bin Sultan, once famous in Washington for his cigars, parties and charm, is now Saudi Arabia’s point man, fighting Iran in Syria and denouncing the Obama administration.

Over the years, Bandar arranged to lower global oil prices in the service of Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and both the Bushes. At the behest of the CIA’s Bill Casey, and behind the back of Congress, Bandar arranged for the Saudis to bankroll anti-Communist wars in Nicaragua, Angola and Afghanistan. He was thick with Dick Cheney, and he was so tight with the George H.W. Bush clan—the father, the mother, the sons, the daughters—that they just called him “Bandar Bush.”

Now, the prince is a spy, or, more precisely, the master spy of the Middle East. He is the point man for a vast Saudi program of covert action and conspicuous spending that helped overthrow the elected Muslim Brotherhood government in Egypt and is attempting to forge a new “Army of Islam” in Syria. Without understanding the man and his mission, there’s no way, truly, to understand what’s happening in the world’s most troubled region right now.

Bandar’s goal is to undermine Iranian power: strip away Tehran’s allies like Assad and Hezbollah; stop the Shiite mullahs from acquiring nuclear weapons; roll back their regional designs; and push them out of office if there’s any way to do that.

While there may be much to fault in Obama’s policy, it’s not as if Bandar and the Saudis have been innocent bystanders.
At the same time, he aims to crush the Muslim Brotherhood, a Sunni organization that pays lip service to democracy and is fundamentally anti-monarchy.

The Bandar program makes for some interesting alliances. Never mind that there’s no peace treaty between Saudi Arabia and Israel, in these parts, as they say too often, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, and Bandar has become the de facto anti-Iran ally of Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin “Bibi” Netanyahu. They are “curiously united,” says historianRobert Lacey, author of Inside the Kingdom: Kings, Clerics, Modernists, Terrorists, and the Struggle for Saudi Arabia. Bandar has always been inclined to defy conventions and bend rules. “Bandar is a man with chutzpah,” says Lacey.

In recent months, echoing Bibi, Bandar has let it be known that one of the biggest obstacles to his goals is U.S. President Barack Obama. And Bandar reportedly told European diplomats last month that Saudi Arabia would make a “major shift” away from its longstanding alliance with the United States.

Some of Bandar’s Saudi associates say he was just blowing off steam. But those who’ve followed his career closely suspect that as part of the shift he’s talking about he may be trying to forge an ever-closer relationship with nuclear-armed Pakistan.

The recently elected prime minister there, Nawaz Sharif, lived under royal protection in Saudi Arabia for much of the last decade. Journalist and scholar David Ottaway, author of the up-close Bandar biography The King's Messenger, predicted in 2009 that “if Iran did become a nuclear power and threatened the Kingdom, Pakistan could well become its principal defender rather than the United States.” In October, Yezid Sayigh of the Carnegie Middle East Center reported that the Saudis have been trying to coax the Pakistanis into a major training program for Syrian rebels.

President George H. Bush meets with Saudi Prince Bandar Bin Sultan, Saudi Ambassador to the United States in the Oval Office on Thursday, March 1, 1991 of the White House in Washington. (Ron Edmonds/AP)
Of course a lot of this can be attributed to Saudi frustration with Obama. But Bandar’s bigger problem may be Bandar. He has put the resources and prestige of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the line again and again in recent years, and with very little to show for it. Syria remains a blood-drenched disaster practically on the Saudi doorstep. Iraq is sliding every deeper into a new sectarian civil war between Shiites (more or less supported by Iran), and Sunnis (more or less supported by Saudi Arabia). Egypt’s continuing civil strife and economic implosion are turning the country into a black hole for billions of Saudi dollars. And while there may be much to fault in Obama’s policy, it’s not as if Bandar and the Saudis have been innocent bystanders.

King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, who is at least 90 years old, has spent his lifetime and countless billions of dollars trying to promote stability in the region. But he’s not getting what he paid for. The Arab Spring stunned the Saudis, the chaos that followed terrified them, and they haven’t found any effective way to restore calm.

Even in little Lebanon, the Saudis and their men have been outmaneuvered time and again by the Iranians and their Hezbollah allies. When Bandar gave up his post as ambassador in Washington 2005, he took on the ill-defined job of national security advisor to the king. And one of his first acts, in 2006, was to offer behind-the-scenes encouragement to the Israelis in their ferocious war on Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. Then Hezbollah fought them to a draw, emerging bloodied but unbowed, and with more credibility than ever.

So weirdly skewed is Bandar’s vision of Lebanon at this point that for a while he promoted Samir Geagea, the semi-mystical former commander of a savage Maronite Christian militia, to be the next president of the country. Other warlords who’ve worked with Bandar complain they can no longer get the Saudi intelligence chief on the phone. He supposedly disappears for days at a time. Saudi King Abdullah, it’s said in Beirut, doesn’t even want the word “Lebanon” spoken in his presence.

“Saudi Arabia is not doing well, and the measure of this is the panic of the Kingdom about the American-Iranian rapprochement,” says a Lebanese source, who is close to many backroom negotiations in the region and who asked not to be identified.

The “major shift” in the American relationship has not come because Bandar, or for that matter, King Abdullah, decided to shake things up. Saudi Arabia just isn’t quite as vital to the United States as it once was. The last 10 years have seen tectonic shifts in world energy supplies. The Kingdom and the once-feared Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) have nothing like the power they wielded 40 years ago. Thanks largely to fracking, the United States is now the world’s biggest producer of hydrocarbons (oil and natural gas), and non-OPEC supplies around the world faroutstrip those of the old cartel.

Back in 1973, Saudi King Faisal could declare an oil embargo against the West that shook the United States to its economic foundations and transformed the global economy. Today, the Saudis vent their anger with fits of forgettable diplomatic rage. It’s doubtful most of the world even noticed when they declined to speak at the United Nations General Assembly in September, or announced a few weeks ago that they would turn down one of the rotating seats on the U.N. Security Council.

“Of course the Saudis are unhappy,” says Lacey. “But this nothing like 1973.”

Bandar, truly, must wish for the good old days. During the 22 years he served as ambassador in Washington, and even before that, he operated at the deep core of world events.

Despite his title and his late father’s position as longtime defense minister and potential heir to the throne, when the young Prince Bandar was in Riyadh he was not really part of upper-crust Saudi society. His mother had been a black-skinned servant (by some accounts, a slave) impregnated by his father when she was 16. So Bandar enjoyed none of the prestige or the clout that well-connected mothers bring to their sons in the Kingdom. But he was very bright, a brilliant English speaker, and an accomplished fighter pilot who knew his way around American military men.

Bandar played a key role in the late 1970s persuading the U.S. Congress over strenuous Israeli objections that the United States should sell billions of dollars worth of jet fighters to Saudi Arabia. After that, he became a trusted messenger carrying communications back and forth between President Jimmy Carter and Crown Prince Fahd, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler at the time.

Fahd recognized only too well the essential contradictions in the relationship between the Land of the Free and the House of Saud. The United States might be the biggest energy consumer in the world, and the Saudis the biggest energy producers, but beyond that fact few interests converged. “The United States is the most dangerous thing to us,” Fahd told the young Bandar, as recounted by Patrick Tyler in his superb history, A World of Trouble: The White House and the Middle East—from the Cold War to the War on Terror. “We have no cultural connection with them … no ethnic connection to them … no religious connection … no language connection … no political connection.”

Close personal relations and major favors would be the key to sustaining close ties, and Bandar was the man who would make it all work. His Washington soirées were legendary, like those of an “Arabian Gatsby,” says Tyler. And behind the scenes, it seemed, there was almost nothing he would not do to cement the Riyadh-Washington axis.

The big payoff came when the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990, looming as an enormous threat to Saudi Arabia as well. Bandar smoothed the way for the United States to pour troops into his country and mount Operation Desert Storm, driving Saddam out of Kuwait and eliminating the menace to the Kingdom.

Just over a decade later, in the summer of 2001, Bandar was the emissary for then Crown Prince Abdullah, telling the recently inaugurated President George W. Bush that it was time for another major initiative: recognition of the Palestinians’ right to a state of their own, and an end to the slaughter in the Holy Land. If not, Bandar told Bush, things were going to get very ugly.

Once again there was talk that Riyadh might use “the oil weapon.” Bush agreed to endorse the eventual establishment of a separate and viable Palestinian state. But just as the White House and State Department were drafting the announcement, 19 terrorists flew planes into the Twin Towers of New York’s World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania— and 15 of them, “the muscle” terrifying passengers on the planes— turned out to be Saudis.

I saw Bandar soon afterward at his mansion in Neuilly-sur-Seine, just outside of Paris (one of his many residences around the world), and he was putting on a brave act. But he clearly did not know what to say. The evidence that Saudi citizens were involved was irrefutable, and the Saudi security services had missed it.

Then the Bush administration started preparing for a new war with Iraq. Bandar warned against it. The Saudis knew the end result of Saddam’s ouster would be to strengthen Iran, and so it did. Once again, they increased oil supplies so the price of gas at the American pump wouldn’t spike too badly: a vital political favor to Bush. But “if 9/11 took the special out of the U.S.-Saudi ‘special relationship,’ the U.S. invasion of Iraq killed it stone dead,” says Lacey.

Even after Bandar left as ambassador to Washington in 2005, he continued to carry messages back and forth from Riyadh. It was increasingly clear, however, that the world and his world had changed. With chronic back pain from a crash landing when he was a pilot, and other health problems as well, the hitherto indefatigable Bandar was fatigued indeed. Although only in his early 60s, he now appears much older.

Last year, according to Saudi sources who’ve worked closely with Bandar, he told King Abdullah that he could solve the Syria situation in a matter of months. The previous intelligence chief, Abdullah’s half brother Prince Muqrin, had not been able to make much headway. But Bandar, as it turns out, has not been much of an improvement.

“His job requires being able to work 18 hours a day and he cannot,” says a Saudi who has collaborated closely with Bandar. He is frustrated and angry and anxious to show off to the world his ability to achieve the seemingly impossible, as he did in the past. But as the same Saudi points out, “being angry is not good in the intelligence business.” And in today’s Middle East, chutzpah just isn’t enough.

​

By Christopher Dickey
November 16th 20135:45 AM
FOLLOWMore Stories by Christopher Dickey​

Prince Bandar bin Sultan, once famous in Washington for his cigars, parties and charm, is now Saudi Arabia’s point man, fighting Iran in Syria and denouncing the Obama administration.

​

By Christopher Dickey
November 16th 20135:45 AM
FOLLOWMore Stories by Christopher Dickey​

Prince Bandar bin Sultan, once famous in Washington for his cigars, parties and charm, is now Saudi Arabia’s point man, fighting Iran in Syria and denouncing the Obama administration.

 

[kalu_miah]

Muqrin bin Abdulaziz Al Saud - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

On 19 July 2012, Prince Muqrin was relieved from his post and replaced by Bandar bin Sultan.[21] It was argued by media that Prince Muqrin had been criticized during his term due to his approach towards some sensitive issues.[22] On the other hand, Prince Muqrin was named advisor at the rank of minister and a special envoy to King Abdullah the same day.[21][23] His responsibility was stated to be the affairs in southeast Asia.[24]

@Yzd Khalifa @Arabian Legend , dear brothers, I am increasingly concerned the way the Syrian war is going. It looks like Prince Bandar bin Sultan has been in charge since July 19, 2012. It has been about 1 year and 4 months since then. How do you rate his performance? I think constructive criticism should be welcome by an open minded person like him.

My personal impression, whatever strategy he is following, its not working very good. He is definitely a capable man, a former fighter pilot, Air Forces officer and a successful diplomat, but whoever is advising him about this war, I believe he is or they are not doing a good job.

But if he is serious about moving away from the US dependence after Obama's backing out from the imminent strike after the Ghouta chemical attack, for that strategy he has my respect. Although if I were in his or his advisers shoes, I would plan from the beginning not depending on the US.

Saudi Arabia has all the chess players on the board to play a much sharper and better game and come out the winner in the end. I guess Prince Bandar is here to stay and is probably the best person among other Royals to hold this job, but I think it is time to fire his advisers and replace them with better talents.

Just expressing my frank opinion as a well wisher from a brotherly nation.

 

[Arabian Legend]

Muqrin bin Abdulaziz Al Saud - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



@Yzd Khalifa @Arabian Legend , dear brothers, I am increasingly concerned the way the Syrian war is going. It looks like Prince Bandar bin Sultan has been in charge since July 19, 2012. It has been about 1 year and 4 months since then. How do you rate his performance? I think constructive criticism should be welcome by an open minded person like him.


My personal impression, whatever strategy he is following, its not working very good. He is definitely a capable man, a former fighter pilot, Air Forces officer and a successful diplomat, but whoever is advising him about this war, I believe he is or they are not doing a good job.

But if he is serious about moving away from the US dependence after Obama's backing out from the imminent strike after the Ghouta chemical attack, for that strategy he has my respect. Although if I were in his or his advisers shoes, I would plan from the beginning not depending on the US.

Saudi Arabia has all the chess players on the board to play a much sharper and better game and come out the winner in the end. I guess Prince Bandar is here to stay and is probably the best person among other Royals to hold this job, but I think it is time to fire his advisers and replace them with better talents.

Just expressing my frank opinion as a well wisher from a brotherly nation.

Yes Akhi, We also welcome constructive criticism so feel free Akhi.

Coming to your question, Prince Bander has just handled the Syrian issue recently. Maybe one month or even less. Its not only the US who backed off but also Turkey has been acting slowly these days expressing anger to the fall of the MB. From my own observation I see the FSA is pushing hard with many strategic locations falling under control day by day since Prince Bander took the lead. We will have to wait a bit before coming to any conclusion. Time will tells anyway.

 

[kalu_miah]

Yes Akhi, We also welcome constructive criticism so feel free Akhi.

Coming to your question, Prince Bander has just handled the Syrian issue recently. Maybe one month or even less. Its not only the US who backed off but also Turkey has been acting slowly these days expressing anger to the fall of the MB. From my own observation I see the FSA is pushing hard with many strategic locations falling under control day by day since Prince Bander took the lead. We will have to wait a bit before coming to any conclusion. Time will tells anyway.

Thank you for understanding Akhi.

If Prince Bander is in charge of Syrian issue for only last one month, then of course that is too little time to show any result. My apologies for making the above comment in my post about firing and replacing his advisers, which I made based on wrong assumption that he was already in charge of Syria matter after he replaced Prince Muqrin in his current position, about 1 year 4 months back, July 19, 2012.

Yes, Turkey is another factor, they got upset after MB issue in Egypt. Excellent point. I think they also got worried about extremists taking control of areas near their border. But if there is a good comprehensive plan to unite the opposition and reduce the influence of extremists then I believe they will come round and participate as before. Because to have a stable and friendly neighbor in Syria is very important for Turkey.

I will write kind of a detailed analysis of the war so far. I am no military professional, just a layman with interest in the subject, so it will be amateur work, but I have some ideas that I want to express and see if it makes sense to people who have more knowledge of the ground situation than me. This is about comparison of strategies used by two sides in this conflict.

 

[Yzd Khalifa]

Just expressing my frank opinion as a well wisher from a brotherly nation

You are entitled to state your opinion in whatever way you like. I personally do respect yours as it appears to be a true constructive criticism, something the vast majority of people here lacks.

dear brothers, I am increasingly concerned the way the Syrian war is going. It looks like Prince Bandar bin Sultan has been in charge since July 19, 2012. It has been about 1 year and 4 months since then. How do you rate his performance? I think constructive criticism should be welcome by an open minded person like him.

The situation in Syria raised a lot of concern since day one.

A few days ago, during the funeral ceremony of a high profile Hezbollah operative in Southern Lebanon, a key figure among the highest rank of Hezbollah said " without our support to the Assad's regime, Syria would have fallen within TWO hours " which is true.

Additionally, two more highly-profiled operatives - one from Iran, while the other from Iraq - were targeted by the rebels.

I believe that the FSA should concentrate more on targeting such figures, the impact of it is way worth than what someone might think.

My personal impression, whatever strategy he is following, its not working very good. He is definitely a capable man, a former fighter pilot, Air Forces officer and a successful diplomat, but whoever is advising him about this war, I believe he is or they are not doing a good job.

The GiP director - Bandar - isn't the only one in KSA who handles the Syrian file. The last word comes from his superiors. I argue that there are two other cards to play if worst comes to worst but we aren't there yet.

But if he is serious about moving away from the US dependence after Obama's backing out from the imminent strike after the Ghouta chemical attack, for that strategy he has my respect. Although if I were in his or his advisers shoes, I would plan from the beginning not depending on the US.

I'm guessing you are referring to the news where a European diplomat said that " Saudi is going to reduce its cooperation with the US on the ground in Syria " Well, that Jeddah stationed diplomat must have seen Bander's ghost in Jeddah

As a matter of fact Bander was never in Jeddah earlier this year except during Hajj. But, even if the statement turned out to be true let suppose, He doesn't have the authority to make such a statement on his own - at least hypothetically -

Muqrin bin Abdulaziz Al Saud - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


@Yzd Khalifa @Arabian Legend , dear brothers, I am increasingly concerned the way the Syrian war is going. It looks like Prince Bandar bin Sultan has been in charge since July 19, 2012. It has been about 1 year and 4 months since then. How do you rate his performance? I think constructive criticism should be welcome by an open minded person like him.

My personal impression, whatever strategy he is following, its not working very good. He is definitely a capable man, a former fighter pilot, Air Forces officer and a successful diplomat, but whoever is advising him about this war, I believe he is or they are not doing a good job.

But if he is serious about moving away from the US dependence after Obama's backing out from the imminent strike after the Ghouta chemical attack, for that strategy he has my respect. Although if I were in his or his advisers shoes, I would plan from the beginning not depending on the US.

Saudi Arabia has all the chess players on the board to play a much sharper and better game and come out the winner in the end. I guess Prince Bandar is here to stay and is probably the best person among other Royals to hold this job, but I think it is time to fire his advisers and replace them with better talents.

Just expressing my frank opinion as a well wisher from a brotherly nation.

 

[Yzd Khalifa]

@kalu_miah

Saudi Arabia has all the chess players on the board to play a much sharper and better game and come out the winner in the end. I guess Prince Bandar is here to stay and is probably the best person among other Royals to hold this job, but I think it is time to fire his advisers and replace them with better talents.

Not only among the Royals, but probably among all Saudis there have been several GiP Non-Royal Saudi Chiefs so is the GiD " Mabahith

 

[kalu_miah]

You are entitled to state your opinion in whatever way you like. I personally do respect yours as it appears to be a true constructive criticism, something the vast majority of people here lacks.

Thanks for your kind words bro.

The situation in Syria raised a lot of concern since day one.

A few days ago, during the funeral ceremony of a high profile Hezbollah operative in Southern Lebanon, a key figure among the highest rank of Hezbollah said " without our support to the Assad's regime, Syria would have fallen within TWO hours " which is true.

Additionally, two more highly-profiled operatives - one from Iran, while the other from Iraq - were targeted by the rebels.

I believe that the FSA should concentrate more on targeting such figures, the impact of it is way worth than what someone might think.

Yes, targeting top commanders is definitely a good tactical move, specially the ones from outside Syria (Lebanon, Iran and Iraq). This will however just reduce their effectiveness only temporarily, they will just replace the personnel from a vast array they have in their home countries and bring them over in the next flight or bus trip.

The GiP director - Bandar - isn't the only one in KSA who handles the Syrian file. The last word comes from his superiors. I argue that there are two other cards to play if worst comes to worst but we aren't there yet.

What does GiP and GiD stand for? If you don't mind my asking. I will not ask about the two trump cards, because that will take away the element of surprise.

I'm guessing you are referring to the news where a European diplomat said that " Saudi is going to reduce its cooperation with the US on the ground in Syria " Well, that Jeddah stationed diplomat must have seen Bander's ghost in Jeddah

As a matter of fact Bander was never in Jeddah earlier this year except during Hajj. But, even if the statement turned out to be true let suppose, He doesn't have the authority to make such a statement on his own - at least hypothetically -

That actually makes sense. I never quite thought that KSA would completely leave the US/NATO allied camp, because there is not much in the way of an alternative. China may become such an alternative, but that is still a few decades away. I was sort of expecting that Prince Bandar and his higher ups would make an unilateral move without waiting for the US or any EU states to come on board. I think making the decision to work with Jaysh al-Islam is one such move.

Also, my impression is that whatever US was doing in Syria theater is not making much of a difference in helping the opposition win this war. The reason is obvious, US has a different goal and strategy than KSA and GCC states. The US I believe wants a prolonged war and eliminate as many extremists (both Shia and Sunni) as possible. GCC states want a short war with as small a casualty figure as possible, which will not only save Syrian lives, but will also save the lives of Iranians, Iraqi's and Lebanese, who are coming here to fight. 

@kalu_miah


Not only among the Royals, but probably among all Saudis there have been several GiP Non-Royal Saudi Chiefs so is the GiD " Mabahith

Thanks for pointing this out. For some reason I mistakenly implied that the position can only be filled by a Royal, I guess I must have thought that way. So it is open to non-Royals as well, good to know.