http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=103900&d=23&m=11&y=2007
Friday 23 November 2007 (13 Dhul Qa`dah 1428)
Ex-Fighter in Iraq Tells His Story
Arab News
Ahmad Abdullah Al-Shaie
BURAIDAH, 23 November 2007 - A young Saudi, who was
brainwashed to fight in Iraq where he narrowly escaped death and suffered
scarring to his face and hands in a failed suicide attack, recently called on
young Saudis not to follow in his footsteps and be wary of militant groups in
Iraq.
Ahmad Abdullah Al-Shaie, a young Saudi from Buraidah who
describes himself as a victim, told Al-Riyadh newspaper that he was brainwashed
into going to and fighting in Iraq. "The Iraqis who were supposed to train me
and prepare me to fight the occupation tried to kill me by making me an
unwilling suicide bomber," said Al-Shaie, who was tricked into driving a truck
full of explosives.
In 2005, Al-Shaie went to Iraq to fight American troops. The
leader of his group, Abu Abdul Rahman, asked him to drive a gas tank to a place
in the Al-Mansour district of Baghdad. The Saudi youngster said he was
suspicious why he had been chosen. He had no experience, did not know his way
around, and felt an Iraqi would have been better suited.
The young Saudi had arrived in Iraq to undergo military
training to take part in the insurgency. "We thought the Iraqis were on our
side. I never doubted them, as I used to see them fasting and praying. I
thought they were doing jihad and it never crossed my mind that they may want
to kill me," said Al-Shaie.
On the day he was to deliver the truck, Al-Shaie was shown
how to maneuver it. Iraqi fighters guided him through Baghdad and when they
reached a certain point they (the Iraqis) sped off in a waiting car.
Al-Shaie recalls the moment when he was left alone. "I
continued driving. After around 500 meters, the truck exploded. It was a
nightmare. I couldn't believe what had happened. Twelve people died and many
were injured," said Al-Shaie, adding that later he learned that his truck,
which was carrying 26 tons of liquid explosives, was aimed at bombing the
Jordanian Embassy.
Al-Shaie arrived in Iraq in 2005 after meeting an old friend,
who told him about jihad and stories of fighters in Afghanistan and Chechnya.
The friend showed him a "fatwa" permitting Saudis to go to Iraq to fight
without the approval of their parents and the ruler of the country.
In the last 10 days of Ramadan in 2005, Al-Shaie told his
parents he was going camping. "I knew that if I told them about my real
intentions they would have objected. We went to Syria where we met a Saudi
called Abu Abdullah," he said, adding that all of the people he met used
nicknames and never their real names.
In Syria, he was introduced to a Syrian man called Mazin, who
arranged for his passage into Iraq. "When we entered Iraq, we met two young
Iraqis carrying two Yemenis, who were wounded in Falluja. The Iraqis told us to
move on before sunrise, otherwise the Americans would come after us," said
Al-Shaie.
In Iraq, Al-Shaie and his group met the leader of foreign
Arab fighters. "His name was Abu Aseel and asked us if we wanted to be martyrs.
None of us raised our hands because we had all come to fight and not to kill
ourselves," said Al-Shaie.
The group was told of the rewards given to martyrs in Islam.
However, the group remained unconvinced. Their passports were taken from them
and they were handed $100 each and sent to the Al-Anbar province where they
joined a group of 40 Arab fighters.
"After one week, we went to Ramadi where we were supposed to
be getting training... We complained to the leader of the camp that we weren't
getting any training. He just said we would be taken to Baghdad the next day,"
said Al-Shaie, adding that an explosives expert called Abu Omar Al-Kurdi
received the group in Baghdad.
It was in Baghdad under Al-Kurdi that Al-Shaie was tricked
into driving the truck on that fatal morning. After the truck he was driving
exploded, the young Saudi, having sustained burns, was taken to the Abu Ghraib
Prison Hospital.
After one month, US officials handed Al-Shaie and a group of
other young Saudis into the custody of the Saudi government.
Al-Shaie says he does not know the fate of his friend, who
brought him to Iraq. He believes he may have died fighting. "The conditions in
Iraq are very difficult... We were brainwashed and were used by these people,"
he said.
"Most Saudis in Iraq have gone because of fatwas permitting
them to fight. However, we all know that the Kingdom's Higher Scholar Committee
has not approved these decrees. Many young Saudis that went to Iraq have been
influenced by what they see on websites and hear in cassettes," he said.
"The Iraqis are not happy with foreigners fighting in Iraq.
They think we're interfering in their internal business," he said. "I advise
young Saudis not to go to Iraq.
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