Saudis fighting in Iraq, Lebanon embarrass homeland

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http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L19789730.htm

RIYADH, July 19 (Reuters) - Recent reports suggesting there are significant numbers of Saudis fighting alongside Islamist militant groups in Iraq and Lebanon have provoked embarrassment and soul-searching in Saudi Arabia.

Iraq's National Security Advisor Mowaffak al-Rubaie said this week that Iraq had tried 160 Saudis for involvement in violence, and a report in a U.S. newspaper said 45 percent of foreigners fighting in Iraq were Saudis.

Lebanese officials say dozens of Saudis are among militants of the Fatah al-Islam militant group which has been battling the army for two months in a Palestinian refugee camp in north Lebanon. The Saudi-owned Arabic press has countered the reports, citing officials who say the numbers are exaggerated in both Iraq and Lebanon.

Columnists are once again wrestling with the issue of the Saudi role in global Islamist militancy, an issue which first came up after the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001 where 15 of the 19 attackers were Saudi nationals.