Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Saudi Arabia Sets Its Sights on Afghanistan



Is there any irony here?  What happened the last time someone from Saudi Arabia got involved in Afghanistan?  But on a serious note the "competition for influence" will be interesting to watch play out.

Saudi Arabia Sets Its Sights on Afghanistan


NOV 6 2012, 7:45 AM ET

As U.S. troops leave, Riyadh is positioning itself for the a future role in the country.

Afghan President Karzai is escorted by Saudi Price Meshaal as he arrives in Jeddah on December 5th, 2005. (Zainal Abd Halim/Reuters)

Saudi Arabia's support for Afghanistan has been steady but inconspicuous over the years. But that is about to change. The powerful Sunni-majority kingdom is embarking on a very public effort to carve out a bigger role in Afghanistan, pitting the oil-rich Gulf state directly against Shi'ite rival Iran in the race for influence as foreign forces leave. This became clear on October 29, when the Afghan government announced that Riyadh would build a multimillion-dollar Islamic complex in Kabul, marking its largest and most expensive foray into post-9/11 Afghanistan.

The project, which is expected to cost between $45 million and $100 million, was agreed between the two countries in Jeddah. Construction is expected to begin next year. The Islamic complex will cover 24 hectares on Maranjan Hill in central Kabul. It will feature a university, a hospital, a sports hall, and a mosque capable of holding around 15,000 worshippers at a time. When completed, it will become a rival to the massive Iranian-built Khatam al-Nabyeen Islamic University in western Kabul. The Shi'ite religious school, which was opened in 2006, was built at a cost of some $17 million by one of Afghanistan's most Iran-leaning clerics. The campus has a mosque, classrooms, and dormitories for its 1,000 Afghan students.

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