Saudi Arabia Sends the Most Fighters to Iraq

Forget Iran: 45% of foreign fighters are Saudis; half are suicide bombers
By Caroline Miller,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 15, 2007 10:33 AM CDT
Saudi Arabia Sends the Most Fighters to Iraq
People pick through the rubble left behind after a parked car bomb killed a pedestrian and wounded 5 others in the Amil neighborhood of western Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, July 14, 2007. It was unclear what the intended target was when the explosion occurred at 7   (Associated Press)

While the US has accused both Syria and Iran of abetting sectarian violence in Iraq, the largest source of foreign insurgents there is Saudi Arabia, the Los Angeles Times reports. Saudi fighters constitute 45% of all foreign militants in Iraq, a US official told the Times. Almost half of them are said to be suicide bombers.

The Saudi fighters have carried out more suicide bombings than those of any other nationality, killing or injuring an estimated 4,000 Iraqis. This leaves the White House in the awkward position of  having its principal ally in the area either unable to staunch the flow of militants into Iraq or, worse, tacitly condoning the bloodshed. (More Saudi Arabia stories.)

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