More Than 2,000 Saudi Nationals Abroad Fighting Alongside Takfiris
MEP: As many as 2,093 Saudi nationals have traveled to other countries including Syria and are fighting alongside terror outfits, Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki was quoted as saying by Al-Hayat newspaper on Monday.
Over 70 percent of them, or 1,540, were fighting alongside anti-Damascus militant groups in Syria, he added.
Most of the militant and terrorist groups, including Daesh (ISIS) and those linked to al-Qaeda, have enjoyed support from Saudi Arabia, reports say. Even groups designated by the West as moderate opposition, have received funding and weaponry from Saudi Arabia and its allies.
According to Turki, 31 Saudis were also believed to have joined militants in countries like Afghanistan and Pakistan while only five have traveled to neighboring Iraq to join Daesh.
The Saudi official noted that 147 Saudi nationals had joined militant groups in Yemen. The impoverished country, which lies to the south of Saudi Arabia, is the base of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
