Sacked Saudi defense minister named spy chief

[bemildred]

Saudi King Abdullah appointed a new spy chief, giving the job to the former deputy defense minister days after sacking him from that post, SPA state news agency reported Tuesday.

Prince Khaled bin Bandar bin Abdul Aziz had been unexpectedly removed from his post on Saturday at the request of his boss the defense minister, after only 45 days on the job.

There was no reason for his sacking but early Tuesday the SPA said that Prince Khaled had been appointed "head of the General Intelligence with a minister rank" by royal decree.

The announcement comes after jihadis spearheading a militant offensive in Iraq have declared on Sunday an "Islamic caliphate," ordering Muslims around the world to pledge allegiance to their chief.

http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/sacked-saudi-defense-minister-named-spy-chief

[Ghost Dog]

1. Looks like a promotion. He replaces 'Bandar Bush'

who 'resigned' in April, perhaps on health or other personal grounds.

The Saudi "General Intelligence Presidency"

Sheik Kamal Adham, the first president of Al Mukhabarat Al A'amah, served from 1965 to 1979.[4][5] Then Turki Al Faisal served as the president of Al Mukhabarat Al A'amah until 2001.[6] Prince Turki resigned abruptly from his post tens days before the 9/11 attacks in 2001 (in which 14 Saudi nationals hijacked and crashed US commercial airliners) despite having had his appointment extended in May 2001 for another four years.[7]

Nawaf bin Abdulaziz replaced Prince Turki on 1 September 2001. The organization was renamed “The General Intelligence Presidency” during Nawwaf’s tenure.[8] Nawwaf was relieved of his duty as the head of GIP by Crown Prince Abdullah on 25 January 2005. For nine months, nobody was appointed to head the presidency.[9][10]

Then, Muqrin bin Abdulaziz was appointed as head of the General Intelligence Presidency by King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz in October 2005.[11] Additionally, King Abdullah relieved Prince Saud bin Fahd of his duties as vice president of GIP.[12][13] Faisal bin Abdullah bin Mohammed was appointed as new vice president of GIP.[12]

On 20 July 2012, Prince Bandar bin Sultan was appointed director general of Al Mukhabarat Al A'amah, replacing Muqrin bin Abdulaziz.[14] Another Saudi royal, Prince Abdulaziz bin Bandar, who had been vice head of the directorate, was relieved from his post, and Youssef bin Ali Al Idrisi replaced him as vice head in October 2012.[15]

On 15 April 2014 Prince Bandar bin Sultan was removed from his position "at his own request" according to the announcement in the Saudi state media.[16][17] He will be replaced by his deputy, Youssef bin Ali al-Idrisi.[18]

/... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Mukhabarat_Al_A%27amah

... Prince Khaled will take over from Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the kingdom's former pointman on the Syrian war who headed the intelligence service for two years until April.

A separate royal decree reported by SPA named Prince Bandar as an "adviser to the king and his special envoy."

Diplomats said in February that Prince Bandar was sidelined in Saudi efforts to support rebels fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

They said his management of the Syrian file had triggered American criticism and the matter was discussed during US officials' visits to the kingdom.

The prince himself reproached Washington for its decision not to intervene militarily in Syria, and for preventing its allies from providing rebels with weapons, according to diplomats...

/... http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/sacked-saudi-defense-minister-named-spy-chief

[bemildred]

2. The King is just trying to find the right "Team of Rivals", see?

I don't put much faith in what is said publically, but yeah, it doesn't sound like a demotion. And I assume that what is going on in the new Islamic Caliphate is not exactly what the King wanted to bring about, so this shuffling around has some relation to that.