When Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, Osama Bin Laden offered the House of Saud his army in Afganistan to protect the country. The Saudis instead rejected his offer and the Americans where asked to come instead. This infuriated Bin Laden for the House of Saud was using Muslim lands to base a Christian army to attack fellow Muslims. However, what if instead The Saudis took up Bin Laden's offer instead. What would happen?
Mujahideen in Saudi Arabia
- Thread starter snerfuplz
- Start date
Is this serious? Cause this scenario just has a big "please troll/flamewar" all over it.
King Thomas
Banned
This is a flamewar just waiting to happen. *calls the fire brigade and stands well back.*
PaleHorseRiding
Banned
Its not a flame war waiting to happen its actually interesting. Just curious how would his army have gotten there in the first place and then how fast do you think Saddam would have wiped them all out due to lack of places to hide. No Mountains in Saudi Arabia in which to hide.
This ends up with Saddam as basically a world power
This ends up with Saddam as basically a world power
Said guerillas are slaughtered if Saddam moves south into Saudi Arabia. About two seconds later, the USN alongside of heavy USAF assets in Diego Garcia slaughters the Iraqi troop columns. US Marines and possibly USA paratroopers land along the unfortified Saudi coast cutting off the Iraqi army's retreat.
PaleHorseRiding
Banned
which ends Bin laden right in his tracks
And the US is not hated for having the people there since Iraq would have fallen into civil war without his military around to keep him propped up
But during the retreat alot of damage to oil wells would be done and it might take years to fix them which could promote alternative fuels earlier
This actually sounds like a better world over all.
well the mujahedeen are expert guerilla fighters, not much a soviet stile tank collum could do to them
theyd just hit and run till they get the enemy somwhere they have advantage
its just that any army attacking saudi arabia would get anhialated as soon as western forces could fuel up their respective fighter jets, launch their guided missiles and deploy their land armies
no one messes with saudi arabia, not with such a huge stabile filo-american oil suply
the fun part could be that osama bin laden would fight on the same side as western forces
theyd just hit and run till they get the enemy somwhere they have advantage
its just that any army attacking saudi arabia would get anhialated as soon as western forces could fuel up their respective fighter jets, launch their guided missiles and deploy their land armies
no one messes with saudi arabia, not with such a huge stabile filo-american oil suply
the fun part could be that osama bin laden would fight on the same side as western forces
If the guerrillas are in open country instead of mountains where they can easily hide, the Soviet-style tank column will hurt them really bad, assuming they're dumb enough to frontally attack it.
And even if they tried hit-and-run stuff, how long until they're run down? There's not a lot of places to hide from aircraft in the open desert.
Bin Laden has suffered many setbacks and defeats and yet still persists. It is not obvious whether a defeat on the scale being thought of here would result in him being 'used up' as a world influence.
There would also always be those right-wing fanatical clerics that would rouse the population against a US 'Christian Crusader' presence. This is also discounting the fact that at the end of the First Gulf War, Iraq's military was defeated, but Saddam's regime didnt fail, nor did Iraq fall into Civil War.
As for oil wells and alternative fuels, the simple fact that the world oil price in those days was not sufficent enough to make a push towards alternative fuels warranted. Yes it would place greater pressure on other oil producing countries with Iraq/Kuwait/Saudi largely devestated and would lead to a jump in the world price, but would it be enough to warrant a push towards alternative fuels? I dont think so personally. This push is not likely to happen until environmental issues and the real emergence of the Chinese and Indian economies make this of paramount importance. If you remember you heard nothing about this kind of thing until 1998ish....
Oh and Broz: bin Laden and the west did fight on the same side in a war... well kind of. bin Laden got his training from the CIA and fought with american arms in Afghanistan against the Soviet Union. There was probably some American co-vert help there too. haha
In order to have this I think you'd have to change around Saudi Arabia's politics. Weren't they scared out of their minds that inviting bin Laden in would foment religious and civil unrest?
ninebucks
Banned
Middle Eastern borders are rather permeable, so long as you know how to permeate them. The Middle East afterall is home to a large number of nomadic people, and its a well established convention in the ME to let nomads wander in and out - even Israel allows Bedouin to come and go into their territory at will. Not to mention, many of the Mujahideen high-ups have perfectly valid Arab passports.
Well, there are mountains, although granted, it is a lot flatter in the north. There are though other places to hide aside from mountains, cities, oases, Bedouin camps, etc. By hiding behind human shields, the Mujahideen force the Iraqis to create a lot of collatoral damage, which will of course help fill their own ranks, as the sole surviving sons of wiped-out families join up to seek vengeance.
No I don't mean to this to be a flame post, my wording could be better.
Just curious about what would happen if this happened after I heard about this on Frontline.