Dubai: A former Saudi Arabian official, Saad al-Jabri, has alleged that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman forged his father’s signature on a royal order to start a war against Houthi rebels in Yemen. There has been no response from Saudi Arabia to Al-Jabri’s allegations. He made this allegation in an interview published on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) on Monday. However, he did not present any evidence to support the allegations. Later, Al-Jabri reiterated these allegations in a detailed statement sent to the Associated Press (AP).
There has been a dispute with the rulers of Saudi Arabia
Former Major General and intelligence officer Al-Jabri, who is living in exile in Canada, has had a dispute with the rulers of Saudi Arabia for a long time. Al-Jabri says that his two sons have been jailed in a case so that he is forced to return to Saudi Arabia. He told AP, “I am not a disgruntled person, nor did I reach this position by my own will. I was a high-level official in Saudi Arabia, who dedicated myself to the security of the country. I am known for saving the lives of thousands of Saudi and Western citizens. Now, as a father, I am making every effort to get my children released.”
Agreement reached with Obama administration
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman’s (88) son and successor Mohammed often meets leaders in place of his father, so Al-Jabri’s allegations are considered important. Al-Jabri told the BBC that a “trusted” official associated with Saudi Arabia’s Home Ministry had told him that Crown Prince Mohammed had signed an order to wage war in place of his father. Mohammed used to be the Defense Minister at that time. Later, al-Jabri told the AP that he had reached an agreement with the then-Obama administration to launch air strikes in Yemen “with the aim of eliminating the Houthi threat, ending the conflict and implementing a political order without ground intervention.”
Royal order issued
Al-Jabri said Saudi Arabia’s then-Interior Minister Prince Mohammed bin Nayef chaired a meeting in Saudi Arabia to formalize that plan. However, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman expressed “clear disagreement” at that meeting, saying he could defeat the Houthis in a ground offensive within two months, al-Jabri said. “Amazingly, later, ignoring the laid out plan, a royal order was issued without the king’s knowledge, with a forged signature,” al-Jabri told the AP.
US refuses to comment
The US State Department has declined to comment on al-Jabri’s claims. A multi-nation military campaign led by Saudi Arabia to rout pro-Iran Houthi rebels in Yemen a decade ago is still not over. The war has killed more than 150,000 people and has led to one of the world’s biggest humanitarian tragedies.
