DUBAI, United Arab Emirates Saudi Arabia's former intelligence chief has expressed concern that American weapons could fall in the hands militant groups like Al Qaeda. This is despite the fact that the United States left Afghanistan, which he claims was badly managed.
Prince Turki Al-Faisal, Paris, told CNBC's Hadley Gamble that he didn't know the right word to use. "Whether incompetence, carelessness or bad management, it was all a mixture of these things," he said.
Between 1979 and 2001, Prince Turki Al Faisal was the head of the Saudi intelligence service. He helped coordinate anti-Communist activities in Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion. In the years prior to 9/11, he tried unsuccessfully to negotiate Osama Bin Laden's return to Saudi Arabia.
Al-Faisal stated that Al Qaeda had targeted Saudi Arabia first. He said, "It's very worrisome that aspect of it, now with this weaponry Al Qaeda may get their hands upon, it's going be even more worrying."
Taliban forces were pictured with a variety of U.S.-made weapons and vehicles seized from Afghanistan's military. This has prompted concern in Saudi Arabia about the enduring threat from ISIS and Al Qaeda, as well as where and with whom this equipment might end up.
Al-Faisal stated that "When Mr. Trump made a deal with the Taliban, it was inexorable that the government would lose their legitimacy." He said, "It's hard to know what caused the United States negotiate with them."
These comments represent the first criticisms by America's Gulf Arab allies since August 15, when Kabul fell.
