Bush often faced fire for ties to Saudis
AFP, Washington
US President George W. Bush has often faced charges that longstanding ties between his family and the family of Saudi King Fahd, who died yesterday after a long illness, clouded his judgement on issues like oil and terrorism. The White House has flatly denied such accusations, which grew louder after 15 Saudis were among the 19 hijackers who carried out the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on behalf of Osama bin Laden. "Before September 11, in Saudi Arabia, terrorists were raising money and recruiting and operating with little opposition. Today, the Saudi government is taking the fight to al-Qaeda, and America and the world are safer," Bush said in August 2004 during his successful reelection campaign. But the official commission that investigated the failures that led up to the attacks said in its final report, released in July 2004, that "Saudi Arabia has been a problematic ally in combating Islamic extremism."
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