No Qualms About Fighting Arabs, Saudi Pilots Say

The following is based on a dispatch from a pool of reporters flown to Saudi Arabia by the Pentagon. The exact location of the interviews could not be disclosed.

Saudi military officers said Wednesday they have no qualms about fighting fellow Arabs if Iraqi forces invade their desert kingdom. One pilot declared that if Saddam Hussein “wants to fight, we will fight to the death.”

Several Saudi pilots, interviewed by U.S. reporters, said they are prepared to defend their nation if the Iraqi president launches an attack. Their squadron commander said his U.S.-trained pilots are so eager to take on the Iraqis that “we have to put a leash on them. . . . We have to put a leash on me.”

Asked about the possibility of fighting fellow Arabs, one pilot said:

“It’s not that, it’s a matter of pride. We are a nation that is not willing to start a fight, but we will fight to protect the sovereignty of our country, and we will win.”

Another pilot commented, “I’m a soldier; when I go to fight, an enemy is an enemy.”

Added a third: “Nobody likes war, but if he wants to fight, we will fight to the death.”

The pilots were interviewed at a Saudi air base under ground rules that prevent the journalists, flown to Saudi Arabia by the Pentagon, from disclosing the size or location of U.S. and Saudi troop deployments. Only command-level officers may be quoted by name.

The base’s commander, Brig Gen. Turki ibn Nasser, a member of the Saudi royal family, told the reporters:

“We would not like to see Arabs fighting Arabs, but if we have to we will do it. If anybody wants to come to the kingdom and attack, we will fight to defend ourselves.”

No Arab nation had taken up arms against other Arabs in modern times until Iraq invaded Kuwait on Aug. 2.

The Saudi pilots all speak English and were all trained in the United States.

Before the meeting with Turki, the journalists were allowed into Saudi jet hangars and maintenance facilities that officials said are off-limits to many Saudis.

The journalists saw further evidence of the growing U.S. presence, including the first-ever field deployment of the Patriot surface-to-air missile system. Transport planes land day and night, bringing in heavy artillery and other equipment to reinforce American units deployed after Saddam’s army overran Kuwait.

Turki said that Saudi, American, and British pilots are conducting joint missions but that many command responsibilities have yet to be worked out. “We hope the higher authorities will solve the problems of command control,” he said.

A squadron commander said the three nations’ pilots have been flying as a single force under a single command.

“From the first day they arrived here, that plan had to be implemented before we leave the ground,” the commander said.

Defense Secretary Dick Cheney plans to visit Saudi Arabia later this week, presumably to discuss command questions.

American troops are equipped with masks and special suits to protect themselves against Iraq’s formidable supply of chemical and gas weapons. But Turki questioned Saddam’s ability to effectively use such weapons.

“As far as we know, he doesn’t have means of delivery with ballistic missiles but he has the means if they are carried by aircraft,” the general said.

“Air to air, I have no problem,” he added, meaning he believes U.S., Saudi and British air defenses can intercept any Iraqi planes carrying chemical bombs.

The Saudi air force is equipped with American F-15s and F-5 fighters, AWACS radar planes and C-130 transports, plus British-made Hawks, Lightnings and Tornadoes.

A squadron commander, who said he received his first training in Selma, Ala., said Iraqi planes have been spotted near the border with Kuwait but none have crossed into Saudi airspace.

“I don’t think it wise for them to cross the border,” he said. “We will react to that. I’m confident that we could inflict heavy damage.”