Saudi Arabia's Military Presence In Afghanistan: Understanding The Kingdom's Role

Saudi Arabia has a long history of involvement in Afghanistan, dating back to the 1920s. However, the two countries have kept their diplomatic engagement low-profile. The intensity of their relationship changed significantly in 1979, when an unprecedented wave of political turmoil altered the status quo in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia, in coordination with the United States and Pakistan, played a crucial role in supporting the mujahedeen resistance against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. The kingdom has also been one of the major providers of funds to the Afghan mujahideen, funneling around $4 billion in support.

Saudi Arabia's ties to Afghanistan became more prominent after the 9/11 attacks, as Saudi national Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the attacks and leader of al-Qaeda, was given refuge by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Following the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia was one of the major helpers in the country's reconstruction, funding projects such as the main highway and the Grand Mosque of Kabul.

In recent years, Saudi Arabia has pursued a semi-open anti-Taliban policy, distancing itself from the group and condemning the religious illegitimacy of the violence they perpetuate. However, with the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, Saudi leaders are likely to keep some channels of communication open with the Taliban to promote stability in the region.

Saudi Arabia's influence on Afghanistan

Saudi Arabia has historically exerted a strong influence on Afghanistan. The kingdom's ties to Afghanistan came into focus on September 11, 2001, when it was revealed that Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, was a Saudi national who had been given refuge by the Taliban in Afghanistan.

However, Saudi Arabia's connections to Afghanistan predate the 9/11 terror attacks. Beginning in the late 1980s, Saudi Arabia, along with the United States, Pakistan, and others, began supporting the Afghan mujahideen resistance movement against the Soviet occupation. Saudi Arabia funnelled money and fuel directly to Afghans, as well as through Pakistan's covert intelligence agency, the ISI.

Saudi Arabia was also the second of only three countries to recognize the first Taliban government, extending official recognition on May 26, 1997, one day after Pakistan and shortly before the United Arab Emirates. After the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia was one of the major helpers in the Afghan reconstruction, for example, the main highway project was funded mainly by the United States and Saudi Arabia.

In recent years, Saudi Arabia has pursued a semi-open anti-Taliban policy, distancing itself from its former partner by contrasting the group's radical version of Islam with its own more "moderate Islam". In July 2017, for example, Saudi Arabia hosted a two-day international conference of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), promoting peace and stability in the war-torn country.

Saudi Arabia has also been accused of covertly funding the Taliban. In interviews with the New York Times, a former Taliban finance minister described how he travelled to Saudi Arabia for years raising cash while ostensibly on pilgrimage. Wealthy Saudi sheikhs and rich philanthropists have also stoked the war by privately financing the insurgents.

However, Saudi Arabia has officially, if coolly, supported the American mission and the Afghan government and even secretly sued for peace in clandestine negotiations on their behalf. Playing multiple sides of the same geopolitical equation is one way the Saudis further their own strategic interests, analysts and officials say.

In recent years, Saudi Arabia has offered the Afghan government substantial defence and development agreements, while Afghans say sheikhs from Saudi Arabia and other Arab Persian Gulf states are quietly funneling billions in private money to Sunni organizations, madrasas, and universities to shape the next generation of Afghans.

In summary, Saudi Arabia has exerted a strong influence on Afghanistan through its historical ties to the Taliban and Afghan Pashtuns, its financial support for the mujahideen and Taliban, and its recent efforts to promote peace and stability in the country. However, its dual tracks of official policy and private initiative, as well as its competition with Iran for influence in Afghanistan, have complicated its relationship with the country.

Saudi Arabia's ties with the Taliban

Saudi Arabia has historically exerted a strong influence on Afghanistan. The country was one of the major providers of funds to the Afghan mujahideen who were fighting against the Soviets and their allies. Saudi Arabia was also the second of only three countries to recognize the first Taliban government, extending official recognition on 26 May 1997, one day after Pakistan and shortly before the United Arab Emirates.

Saudi Arabia's ties to Afghanistan became more widely known on September 11, 2001, when it was revealed that Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks and leader of al-Qaeda, was a Saudi national who had been given refuge by the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Saudi policy in Afghanistan suffered a setback after the fall of the Mohammad Najibullah government in 1992. Unlike Iran, which primarily supported Shia groups, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia turned their funding support to Saudi-trained Wahhabi leaders. These pro-Wahhabist Pashtuns would eventually form the core of the Taliban’s leadership.

Some analysts say it was as much strategy as ideology that shaped Saudi Arabia’s early ties to the Taliban. Riyadh helped foster the rise of the Taliban beginning in the mid-1990s largely to serve as a proxy force against Afghanistan’s post-Soviet leadership and to counter Iran.

Saudi Arabia severed official ties with the Taliban following 9/11, stating that the Taliban government had defamed Islam and Muslims by harbouring terrorists. However, the end of diplomatic ties with the Taliban did not mark a halt to Saudi interest in Afghanistan. In February 2002, Riyadh reopened its embassy in Kabul, establishing official channels with the new Afghan government.

In recent years, Saudi Arabia has pursued a semi-open anti-Taliban policy, distancing itself from its former partner by contrasting the group’s radical version of Islam with its own more “moderate Islam”. In July 2017, for example, Saudi Arabia hosted a two-day international conference of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), promoting peace and stability in Afghanistan. The event concluded with a declaration condemning the religious illegitimacy of violence perpetuated by the Taliban.

Despite Saudi Arabia's history of influence on the Taliban, it is unlikely that the country will revive its old alliances. Today, Saudi Arabia officially remains distant from its old allies, and it is predicted that the country will want to keep a low profile regarding its engagement with the Taliban, especially in light of the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

Saudi Arabia's role in the rise of the Taliban

Saudi Arabia has historically exerted a strong influence on Afghanistan. The country played a significant role in the rise of the Taliban, especially in the context of the Soviet-Afghan War.

In the 1980s, Saudi Arabia, along with the United States, Pakistan, and others, began supporting the Afghan mujahideen resistance movement against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. Saudi Arabia funnelled money and fuel directly to the Afghan mujahideen, as well as through Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). According to Pakistani journalist Ahmed Rashid, the Saudis gave nearly $4 billion in official aid to the mujahideen between 1980 and 1990, excluding unofficial aid from Islamic charities and wealthy individuals.

After the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, a power vacuum emerged, and Saudi Arabia, along with Iran, attempted to gain influence in the country. Saudi Arabia supported the Wahhabi leaders, who would eventually form the core of the Taliban's leadership. The Taliban's strict interpretation of Sharia law, or Islamic law, aligned with Wahhabism, the dominant form of Islam in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia's support for the Taliban was driven by both strategic and ideological factors. Riyadh saw the Taliban as a proxy force against Afghanistan's post-Soviet leadership and as a way to counter Iranian influence in the region. Additionally, the kingdom's interest in exporting Wahhabism and its position as the custodian of Islam's holiest sites also played a role in shaping its ties with the Taliban.

Saudi Arabia was one of the few countries to officially recognize the first Taliban government in 1997. However, the relationship between the two soured when the Taliban refused to hand over Osama bin Laden, a Saudi national and the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, to Saudi officials. After the 9/11 attacks, Saudi Arabia severed official ties with the Taliban and joined the US-led war on terror.

Despite the official rupture, Saudi Arabia continued to have some involvement in Afghanistan. The kingdom provided significant humanitarian assistance and participated in peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban in the late 2000s.

In recent years, Saudi Arabia has pursued a semi-open anti-Taliban policy, using its influence in major Islamic institutions to provide humanitarian aid to Afghanistan while distancing itself from the Taliban's radical version of Islam.

In summary, Saudi Arabia played a significant role in the rise of the Taliban by providing financial and ideological support, seeing the group as a way to further its strategic and religious interests in the region. However, the relationship between the two has been complex and ambiguous, with Saudi Arabia sometimes playing multiple sides in the Afghan conflict.

Saudi Arabia's relations with Afghanistan post-2001

Saudi Arabia has historically exerted a strong influence on Afghanistan. In the context of post-2001 relations, Saudi Arabia has played a significant role in Afghanistan's reconstruction and has been one of the major providers of funds for various projects, including the main highway project and the Grand Mosque of Kabul.

After the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001, Saudi Arabia, along with other countries, assisted in the reconstruction of Afghanistan. However, Saudi Arabia's relationship with Afghanistan has been volatile and controversial. The kingdom sought to distance itself from Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks, particularly from terrorist networks associated with Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Despite this, Saudi Arabia has continued to have a vested interest in the political future of Afghanistan, with security, economic, and humanitarian interests at stake.

Saudi Arabia's engagement with Afghanistan has been driven by several factors, including its moral-religious duty as the custodian of Islam's holy sites, its contested relationship with Iran, and its fight against terrorist and extremist networks. The kingdom has funnelled aid and supported various factions within Afghanistan to promote its interests and contain Iranian influence.

In recent years, Saudi Arabia has pursued a semi-open anti-Taliban policy, using its influence in major Islamic institutions to provide humanitarian aid while condemning the Taliban's radical version of Islam. With the Taliban's return to power in 2021, Saudi leaders are likely to remain cautious and keep some channels of communication open, primarily to promote stability in the region.

Overall, Saudi Arabia's post-2001 relations with Afghanistan have been complex and driven by the kingdom's strategic priorities and interests in the region.

Saudi Arabia's current stance on the Taliban

After the Taliban's refusal to hand over Osama bin Laden in 1998 and their sheltering of al-Qaeda, Saudi Arabia severed official ties with the Taliban following the 9/11 attacks. The kingdom's current stance can be understood through the lens of pragmatism and a desire to promote stability in the region.

On the one hand, Saudi Arabia has taken a semi-open anti-Taliban position, distancing itself from the group's radical version of Islam. It has leveraged its influence in major Islamic institutions to gain a foothold in Afghanistan and provide humanitarian aid to the country. The kingdom has also played a role in pressuring members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) to facilitate humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan.

On the other hand, Saudi Arabia has kept some channels of communication open with the Taliban to promote stability and address shared concerns such as the illicit flow of narcotics and weapons smuggling. The country's foreign policy under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) has shifted towards a more humanitarian-based approach, and it seeks to rehabilitate its image on the international stage.

Additionally, Saudi Arabia's rivalry with Iran plays a significant role in its Afghanistan policy. It aims to prevent Iranian influence in Afghanistan and contain its expansionist ambitions in the region. However, the kingdom's efforts to unite the Afghan mujahedeen under its religious authority have had mixed results, and it recognizes the limitations of its influence in the country.

In conclusion, Saudi Arabia's current stance on the Taliban is characterized by a cautious approach that seeks to balance humanitarian and security concerns while navigating complex regional dynamics. The kingdom's past entanglements with Afghanistan have made it wary of deep engagement, and it is likely to maintain a careful distance while pursuing its interests through diplomatic and humanitarian channels.

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