US ally Saudi is “the most significant source of funding for IS and LeT”

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While the debate rages on the role of the Islamic State’s involvement in Paris attacks, which killed 129 people, not many people would know that America’s own ally Saudi Arabia was “the most significant source of funding for Sunni terrorists worldwide.”

An ‘action request cable’ from 2009, revealed by WikiLeaks, had expressed concern over the Saudi government’s inability in checking the continuing flow of funds to the Sunni terrorist groups worldwide including the IS, Taliban and Lashkar-e-Taiba, which was responsible for carrying out the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai in 2008.

The classified cable had said, “While the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) takes seriously the threat of terrorism within Saudi Arabia, it has been an ongoing challenge to persuade Saudi officials to treat terrorist financing emanating from Saudi Arabia as a strategic priority. Due in part to intense focus by the USG (United State Government) over the last several years, Saudi Arabia has begun to make important progress on this front and has responded to terrorist financing concerns raised by the United States through proactively investigating and detaining financial facilitators of concern.

“Still, donors in Saudi Arabia constitute the most significant source of funding to Sunni terrorist groups worldwide. Continued senior-level USG engagement is needed to build on initial efforts and encourage the Saudi government to take more steps to stem the flow of funds from Saudi Arabia-based sources to terrorists and extremists worldwide.”

This revelation was made little over a year after the LeT had caused large-scale mayhem in Mumbai killing close to 200 people.

The secret US document released by WikiLeaks had further stated, “In contrast to its increasingly aggressive efforts to disrupt al-Qa’ida’s access to funding from Saudi sources, Riyadh has taken only limited action to disrupt fundraising for the UN 1267-listed Taliban and LeT-groups that are also aligned with al-Qa’ida and focused on undermining stability in Afghanistan and Pakistan.”

America has always been criticised both at home and abroad for what its critics say the US government’s double standard because of its alliance with Saudia Arabia. A report published in Newsweek in 2014 said that the Saudis beheaded more people than IS.

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