Following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, the United States prepared to deploy troops to Saudi Arabia to fight in Kuwait. Osama bin Laden told the Saudi government that it was not necessary to invite "infidel" troops to Saudi Arabia, claiming that he was able to offer 100,000 mujahideen instead.[1][2] The Saudi government was initially willing to give it a chance, although quickly rejected the offer after American pressure. American troops were permanently stationed in Saudi Arabia. This marked a turning point, in which Osama bin Laden began opposing the Saudi monarchy and referred to the Saudi government as occupiers.[3] Osama bin Laden had always opposed Saddam Hussein, and claimed that the mujahideen were able to expel Iraqi troops from Kuwait, and later overthrow the Iraqi Ba'athist government. Osama bin Laden also did not consider Saddam Hussein a Muslim. Khalid Batarfi claimed that Osama bin Laden had predicted the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait much earlier than when it happened.[4] Prince Sultan rejected the offer and considered the American troops more effective and reliable. When around 250,000 American troops were deployed in early 1991, Osama bin Laden felt humiliated and cut ties with the Saudi monarchy. Many jihadists also claimed that the Saudi monarchy had shown their true "infidel" nature.[5] Osama bin Laden had even stated that his family construction firm could build defenses in Kuwait like they had in Afghanistan. Prince Sultan defended the Saudi rejection of the offer, claiming that Kuwaiti terrain was nothing like Afghan terrain, and that the Al-Qaeda militants could not survive Iraqi chemical weapons. However, Osama bin Laden remained insistent that the mujahideen could fight the Iraqi army with their faith.[6] Osama bin Laden described the presence of American troops in Saudi Arabia as the biggest shock of his life.[7] Following the Saudi rejection of the offer, Osama bin Laden relocated to Khartoum, Sudan. Al-Qaeda became strictly devoted to Anti-Americanism and attacked the World Trade Center shortly after in 1993.[8][9] Early during the 1991 Iraqi uprisings, delegations from the Kurdistan Islamic Movement of Osman Abdulaziz had visited Osama bin Laden and told him about the atrocities that Saddam Hussein was committing against Kurds. After al-Qaeda relocated to Sudan in 1991, a senior al-Qaeda instructor visited Iraqi Kurdistan to train the rebels in 1992, which they utilized against the Iraqi government.[10]
Ba'athist Iraq
United States