Wall St.Journal 27Feb2020

A8| Thursday, February 27, 2020 THE WALL STREET JOURNAL.

PRINCE SULTAN AIR BASE,
Saudi Arabia—Nearly 17 years
after U.S. troops largely pulled
up stakes from the kingdom,
the U.S. is now back in force.
Here in a base of tents in
the desert southeast of Ri-
yadh, some 2,500 U.S. military
personnel are launching F-
jet fighters in soaring arcs
overhead and manning Patriot
missile batteries in shifts. Or
they play chess and video
games to pass the hours, with
an NFL-themed game splashed
on a flat-screen TV inside a
recreation tent.
The return of the U.S.
troops—after maintaining a
much smaller footprint for
nearly two decades—reflects
the alarm of Saudi and Ameri-
can leaders at the current
threat posed by another re-
gional power: Iran.
“We face a thinking enemy
that is playing a real regional
conflict for keeps, and they’re
very good,” said Gen. John
Walker, the commander of the
378th Air Expeditionary Wing
at the base. He was last based
here in 1997.
The U.S. deployment at
Prince Sultan highlights the
changing shape of the U.S.
military presence in the region
amid President Trump’s policy
of confrontation with Iran and
his decision to withdraw some
forces from Syria. Though Mr.
Trump has vowed to disen-
gage from the Middle East, he
has sent thousands of addi-
tional soldiers to the region.
U.S. forces were last sta-
tioned at the base in 2003,
more than a decade after the
U.S. sent more than a half mil-
lion American troops to pro-
tect the kingdom following
Saddam Hussein’s invasion of
Kuwait in 1990. Osama bin
Laden, who opposed the de-
ployment of U.S. soldiers in
the country that hosts Islam’s
two holiest sites, launched a

WORLD NEWS

WORLD WATCH

Supporters of former President Hosni Mubarak gathered near the cemetery where he was buried.

NARIMAN EL-MOFTY/ASSOCIATED PRESS

ment has also arrested numer-

ous people identified with the

conservative religious estab-

lishment. It has used the fight

against extremism to arrest

mainstream critics of the gov-

ernment, including religious

leaders who advocated for re-

form and opposed radicalism.

Still, anti-American senti-

ments are far from extinct in

Saudi Arabia.

The government has said

little about the American de-

ployment beyond short official

statements announcing the

soldiers’ arrival last year.

How long they stay will de-

pend on factors ranging from

political decisions in Washing-

ton to the military’s estima-

tions of its need to project

force around the region.

“The Kingdom of Saudi Ara-

bia of today is very different

than it was 20 years ago,” said

Gen. Walker. “The policies and

the society have changed for

the better.”

—Donna Abdulaziz in

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia,

contributed to this article.

ing United Arab Emirates.

Other personnel at the base

have been sent here after

moving out of Syria.

The U.S. return suggests

the Saudi leadership is confi-

dent it can avoid a repeat of

the extremism that flared last

time it hosted American

forces.

A government campaign

against al Qaeda networks in-

cluded placing thousands of

people in a deradicalization

program.

Crown Prince Mohammed

bin Salman has also sought to

introduce social change, like

granting women the right to

drive, even as his government

has arrested activists who

campaigned for that right.

He has allowed the intro-

duction of movie theaters and

brought in Western entertain-

ment ranging from Mariah

Carey to professional wres-

tling matches—all in an at-

tempt to change cultural

norms and project a more

modern image of his country.

The crown prince’s govern-

siles, which cost millions of

dollars, are an expensive tool

to parry cheaper cruise mis-

siles or drones.

Patriots are designed to

counter highflying ballistic

missiles, rather than the

lower-flying cruise missiles

and drones used in the Sep-

tember strike on Saudi oil in-

stallations. In the 1991 Gulf

war, the U.S. sent the air-de-

fense batteries to the king-

dom, where they struggled to

shoot down Iraq’s Scud mis-

siles.

An F-15 squadron stationed

at the base—and now flying

missions against Islamic State

over Iraq and Syria—has been

moved in from the neighbor-

That relief recently turned

to concern about being with-

out the Americans.

Central to the American

forces’ mission now in Saudi

Arabia is to prevent a repeat

of attacks from Iran, such as

the missile and drone strike in

September 2019 on Saudi oil

facilities that temporarily

crippled the kingdom’s petro-

leum production, threatening

global supplies. U.S. and Saudi

officials blamed Iran for the

attack. The Iranian govern-

ment has denied involvement.

The attack, which involved

both drones and cruise mis-

siles, simultaneously struck

the Abqaiq and Khurais facili-

ties in eastern Saudi Arabia.

U.S. defense officials now

say they have shored up Saudi

air defenses to the extent that

they could prevent an air-

strike like the one in Septem-

ber, thanks in part to the de-

ployment of four American

Patriot missile batteries, in-

cluding two stationed at

Prince Sultan. Defense offi-

cials acknowledge Patriot mis-

campaign of attacks on gov-

ernment and Western targets

in the kingdom. In 1996, a

bombing at a housing complex

killed 19 members of the U.S.

Air Force. Although American

authorities later blamed the

attack on Iran, bin Laden

praised it at the time.

The U.S. withdrew most of

its forces from Saudi Arabia

after the U.S.-led invasion of

Iraq ousted Saddam Hussein,

closing a fraught chapter in

American-Saudi relations. The

U.S. moved its regional center

of gravity to neighboring Qa-

tar, much to the relief of Saudi

leaders who were freed from

the burden of hosting an un-

popular foreign military force.

“Their presence there over

the last 12 years has been a

source of enormous difficulty

for a friendly govern-

ment,” Deputy Secretary of

Defense Paul Wolfowitz said

at the time of the withdrawal,

according to an interview with

Vanity Fair magazine. “It’s

been a huge recruiting device

for al Qaeda.”

BYJAREDMALSIN

U.S. Forces Back in Saudi Arabia to Deter Iran

Americans have returned to the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia for the first time in nearly 17 years. They left in 2003 after leading Saddam Hussein’s ouster in Iraq.

IMAN AL-DABBAGH FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

About 2,500 troops

staff a base near

Riyadh despite a

history of opposition.

EGYPT

Reviled andLoved,

Mubarak Is Buried

Egypt held a full-honors mili-
tary funeral for the autocratic
former President Hosni Mubarak,
who ruled for nearly three de-
cades before he was ousted in
the 2011 Arab Spring uprising
that swept much of the region.
The funeral, replete with can-
non fire and a horse-drawn car-
riage carrying his coffin, high-
lighted the wartime
achievements of Mr. Mubarak. It
comes as part of a government
effort to make his military career
his legacy, rather than his time in
office.
Egypt’s current President Ab-
del Fattah Al Sisi attended
briefly, offering condolences and
shaking hands with Mr. Muba-
rak’s two sons, Alaa and Gamal,
and his wife, Suzanne.
Mr. Mubarak’s body was later
placed in a tomb a few miles
away at his family’s cemetery in
Heliopolis, an upscale Cairo dis-
trict that was his home for most
of his rule and where he lived
quietly until his death.
Mr. Mubarak, who held on to
the presidency for nearly 30
years, carried out a brutal cam-
paign against Islamist militants,
but also allowed for minimal po-
litical dissent from his opponents.
Under his rule, Egypt’s secu-
rity branches grew into formida-

ble forces with little civilian over-

sight, known for their human-

rights violations. And although he

oversaw an opening of the coun-

try’s economy, much of the popu-

lation slid further into poverty

during his time in office.

Holding the funeral with full

military honors for the deposed

leader stirred upcontroversy

with many Egyptians on social

media, who pointed to his convic-

tion on corruption charges after

his overthrow.

Nonetheless, the former presi-

dent still enjoys a degree of pop-

ularity among many Egyptians,

who have painted him as a pa-

ternal figure.

At the height of the 2011 up-

rising, his supporters would

sometimes violently clash with

pro-democracy protesters.

On Wednesday, a few dozen

supporters gathered at a mosque

in Cairo where his body was

brought for the funeral, and

chanted, “Gamal, tell your father,

100 million say goodbye!”

—Associated Press

ITALY

Americans Stand Trial

In Officer’s Killing

After months in a Rome jail,

a pair of boyhood friends from

California went on trial, ac-

cused of murdering an Italian

policeman during a summer va-

cation in Italy.

The Carabinieri paramilitary

officer, Deputy Brig. Mario Cer-

ciello Rega, was unarmed and

on plainclothes assignment

with his police partner when he

was stabbed 11 times and left

bleeding on a street near the

Americans’ hotel on July 26,

2019.

Prosecutors have alleged

that Finnegan Lee Elder, now

20 years old, thrust a 7-inch

attack-style knife repeatedly

into the police officer, while Ga-

briel Natale-Hjorth, now 19,

scuffled nearby with the part-

ner, Andrea Varriale, who was

slightly injured.

Under Italian law, accom-

plices to an alleged murderer

can also be charged with the

murder itself. In addition to the

murder charge, both defen-

dants are also charged with at-

tempted extortion related to a

drug deal gone bad, and resist-

ing public officials.

On Wednesday, both were in

court, where the first hearing

dealt largely with procedural

matters. Both have said they

thought they were being at-

tacked and acted in self-de-

fense.

Mr. Elder’s lawyers and fam-

ily members have quoted the

man as saying that he had mis-

taken the officers for a pair of

common criminals and that he

was fighting for his life.

Conviction for murder in It-

aly can bring a sentence as

high as a life sentence. The

country doesn’t have the death

penalty.

—Associated Press

SPAIN

Madrid Opens Talks

With Catalonia

Spain’s prime minister and

the leader of Catalonia are open-

ing formal talks in hopes of re-

solving the festering political cri-

sis provoked by the region’s

separatist movement.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez

and members of his government

are hosting Catalan regional

chief Quim Torra and his delega-

tion in Madrid’s Moncloa Palace,

the seat of Spain’s government.

Mr. Sánchez greeted Mr. Torra

in the gardens outside the pal-

ace where the two leaders ap-

peared to chat amiably.

No major breakthrough is ex-

pected given the political abyss

separating the two sides.

Mr. Torra has said he would

repeat his demands for Catalo-

nia to be allowed to hold a ref-

erendum on independence and

for the release of nine separatist

leaders who are serving prison

sentences for their role in an il-

legal 2017 secession attempt.

Mr. Sánchez has said his gov-

ernment won’t consider an inde-

pendence vote and instead will

focus on improving relations be-

tween Spain and the region.

Polls and a recent election in-

dicate roughly 50% of the 7.

million residents of northeastern

Catalonia favor secession.

—Associated Press

the blockade removed. The

blockade “has severed vital

rail connections and severely

impacted CP’s operations, cus-

tomers and the broader econ-

omy,” a spokesman said.

Anti-pipeline protesters on

Tuesday launched additional

temporary rail blockades

across the country affecting,

among others, commuter-rail

traffic serving suburban To-

tem. There have been compa-

nies that have virtually

stopped their operations.

There are 50 ships on the Pa-

cific Coast waiting to pick up

grain.”

The Ontario Provincial Po-

lice moved Monday to disman-

tle a blockade led by indige-

nous anti-pipeline protesters

that lasted for more than two

weeks, and threatens to weigh

markedly on growth in the

first quarter.

The blockade was estab-

lished in solidarity with some

indigenous leaders opposed to

the construction of a natural-

gas pipeline in British Colum-

bia, Canada’s most-western

province. Another blockade re-

mains in place near Montreal

on indigenous territory, on

track owned by Canadian Pa-

cific Railway.

Canadian Pacific said

Wednesday it has obtained a

court order in Quebec to have

ronto. The blockades later dis-

sipated.

Economists on Wednesday

said the blockades’ effects

would subtract from growth in

the first quarter of 2020, cit-

ing data that indicated a sharp

7.4% decline in Canadian

freight-rail traffic in February

compared with the previous

month. One economist, Derek

Holt of Bank of Nova Scotia,

predicted the Bank of Canada

would cut its main interest

rate next week because of the

damage from the rail block-

ades and the coronavirus epi-

demic.

On Wednesday, a video

posted on Facebook by a me-

dia outlet affiliated with pro-

testers showed demonstrators

on the tracks, one carrying a

gas can, and refusing to move

as a Canadian National Rail-

way train approached. The

protesters left the track with

seconds to spare before the

train would have struck the in-

dividuals, with at least one

throwing debris. Police offi-

cers stood on the other side of

the tracks and watched.

Another video, broadcast by

Canada’s CTV News, showed a

wooden pallet burning next to

the tracks as the train passed,

with one protester pouring gas

on the tracks.

Mr. Garneau described what

the protesters did Wednesday

as “an extremely reckless act.”

He added what transpired

could have become a danger-

ous situation had the train

been carrying dangerous

goods.

Representatives for Cana-

dian National—which owns

the track subject to the block-

ade east of Toronto—didn’t re-

spond to questions about the

dangers posed by protesters,

or to comments from Mr. Gar-

neau about when rail-freight

traffic returned to normal.

OTTAWA—Canada’s Trans-
port Minister said Wednesday
the country was “many, many
weeks” away from a return to
normal for freight-rail traffic,
after police this week disman-
tled a blockade that had
choked off shipments from
east to west.
Marc Garneau told report-
ers in Ottawa the blockade, set
up in an indigenous commu-
nity roughly 120 miles east of
Toronto, has “definitely
slowed things down” and
warned consequences may not
be realized for months. The
blockade affected the main
east-west corridor operated by
Canadian National Railway
Co., the country’s largest rail-
road.
The effects of the blockades
“are going to be felt for weeks
to come,” Mr. Garneau said.
“There is an inertia in the sys-

BYPAULVIEIRA

Canada Warns Freight-Rail Delays Could Last Many Weeks

A Canadian National Railway train Wednesday plowed through

wooden pallets laid down by opponents of a natural-gas pipeline.

ALEX FILIPE/REUTERS