General didn't tell superiors about Saudi reluctance
U.S. offers reward for information on bombing
July 2, 1996
Web posted at: 3:30 p.m. EDT (1930 GMT)(CNN) -- The commander of U.S. Air Force personnel in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, never told his superiors about Saudi Arabia's reluctance to expand the security zone around the housing complex heavily damaged in a deadly terrorist bombing one week ago, Pentagon sources confirmed Tuesday.
The sources said Brig. Gen. Terry Schwalier was "working the problem" with Saudi authorities, and did not ask for help from other commanders higher in the chain of command. That meant no high-level U.S. influence could be brought to bear on Saudi authorities, according to the Washington Post, which first reported the story.
Saudi authorities had turned down two requests to widen the protected area around the apartment complex from 100 feet (30 meters) to 400 feet (122 meters) before the June 25 blast. The massive truck bomb explosion killed 19 American airmen at the compound and wounded hundreds more.
Also Tuesday, the United States offered a $2 million reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the attack. State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns announced the U.S. reward at a briefing, noting that this would be added to the $3 million reward already offered by the Saudi government.
Caught by surprise
Pentagon sources said Defense Secretary William Perry and Gen. John Shalikashvili, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, did not know of the Saudi foot-dragging until Gen. Schwalier revealed it in media interviews over the weekend.
Pentagon officials point out that Saudi officials never actually rejected the U.S. request, they just never approved it. Officials said Schwalier may have had reason to think that eventually the request would have been approved.
King speaks on blast
In his first public comment on the blast, Saudi King Fahd condemned the attack and promised it would not cause him to change his government's policies.
"Any desperate attempt to alienate the kingdom from the path of God will only increase its determination to abide by its commitments and protect its national, regional and international interests, " King Fahd said at a cabinet meeting Monday night. His remarks were carried Tuesday by the official Saudi Press Agency.
Fahd, at the helm of the world's largest oil exporting country, also urged Saudis to help security officials hunt those behind the Dhahran bombing.
Muslim militants opposed to Western military presence in Saudi Arabia, home to Islam's holiest shrines, are widely suspected of responsibility.
King Fahd, in his 70s and in poor health, has maintained close ties with the United States, the kingdom's traditional Western ally, for more than 50 years. He invited U.S. forces to the kingdom shortly after Iraq's August 1990 invasion of Kuwait.
Celebrating the 4th in the Gulf
U.S. embassies in the Gulf are warning Americans to keep a low profile in the region, but will hold July 4 Independence Day receptions despite last week's bombing.
There are about 35,000 Americans and 5,000 U.S. service personnel in Saudi Arabia, which has the largest concentration of U.S. citizens in the Gulf.
The U.S. aircraft carrier Carl Vinson entered the Gulf on Monday along with its five-vessel battle group with some 8,700 people on board, bringing the total of Navy personnel in the region to 12,000. There are about 20,000 U.S. servicemen in the region.
Correspondent Jamie McIntyre, the Associated Press, and Reuters contributed to this report.
Related sites:
Back to the top
FeedbackSend us your comments.Selected responses are posted daily. |
|
![[Imagemap]](/WORLD/images/9601/navbar2.gif){kind=small}
Copyright © 1996 Cable News Network, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.
