RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has decided to host US troops in a joint move withWashington to boost regional security, the kingdom´s defence ministry said,as tensions soar in the Gulf.
“Based on mutual cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the United States ofAmerica, and their desire to enhance everything that could preserve thesecurity of the region and its stability… King Salman gave his approvalto host American forces,” a ministry spokesman was quoted by Saudi statenews agency SPA as saying.
Saudi Arabia has not hosted US forces since 2003 when they withdrewfollowing the end of the war with Iraq.
The US presence in Saudi Arabia lasted 12 years, starting with OperationDesert Storm in 1991, when Iraq invaded Kuwait.
As many as 200 US aircraft were stationed at the Prince Sultan air basesituated around 80 kilometres (50 miles) south of the capital at the peakof the Iraq war, and as many as 2,700 missions a day were handled by theheadquarters in Saudi Arabia.
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But relations between the two countries were not always easy during the 12years of cooperation, particularly following the September 11, 2001 attacksin New York which were orchestrated by Saudi-born al-Qaeda leader Osama binLaden.
Tensions in the Gulf increased further on Friday as Iran said it hadconfiscated a British-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz and as USPresident Donald Trump insisted that the US military had downed an Iraniandrone that was threatening a US naval vessel, despite denials from Tehran.-APP/AFP
