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Richard Cochrane is trained in chemistry and metallurgy but is far more interested and practiced as a political and fund raising consultant, writer and amateur historian. He grew up in a Navy family and with his two younger brothers carried on its 500+ year tradition of naval service to Great Britain and the USA then enjoyed a career with one of the largest advertising and public relations agencies working with numerous Fortune 500 companies and many of America's premier educational institutions. He maintains friendships and acquaintanceships around the world. He lives in Santa Barbara, California.

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GAO report: Saudis are top fianciers of Taliban

October 6th, 2009 • Richard Cochrane
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saudi-logoThe United States has determined that Saudi Arabia continues to be the leading source of funding to Al Qaida and is also the top financial backer of Taliban.    A report the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said the Saudi government did not appear to be involved in the funding, but that Saudi funds to both Al Qaida and Taliban has helped finance the war against NATO in Afghanistan.

GAO said Saudis were the chief source of funding to Taliban. The report said couriers were transporting cash from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Cooperation Council states to Afghanistan and Pakistan for Taliban

“They are a top source of funding for Al Qaida and associated terror groups, such as the Taliban,” GAO said on Sept. 29.

“It is vital that the U.S. demand more from the Saudi government in cutting off the money flow to the Islamist extremist network,” Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said. GAO said Riyad has failed to stop the flow of funds from individuals and charities to Al Qaida and Taliban. The report said the Saudi funding continued amid the kingdom’s crackdown on Al Qaida and counter-insurgency support to neighboring Yemen.

The report also warned of Saudi Arabia’s policy to rehabilitate Al Qaida insurgents. GAO reported a 20 percent recidivism rate of the 4,300 Al Qaida operatives who went through the re-education program returned to terrorism and battlefields..

“Saudi officials acknowledge such cases illustrate the difficulties associated with assessing which participants should be released,” GAO said.

The congressional watchdog recommended that the White House draft performance targets for Saudi Arabia in the war against Al Qaida. Over the last five years, several prominent members of Congress have sought to link U.S. arms sales to Riyad to its commitment to block funding to Al Qaida.

The difficulty with that approach is that Russia and China are salivating to take over weapons sales to the kingdom further reducing U. S. leverage. The problem, of course is that Saudi money supplied by U. S. oil dollars wind up killing American troops.

The funds flow from the Saudi government to some 26,000 royal family  members and from some of them to al Qaeda and the Taliban. Estimates vary for royal family revenues but could be a trillion dollars to be doled out as the King and his surrogates see fit with little or no oversight.

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