File photo
Saudi’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has created a specially trained 5,000-strong army called “Al-Saif Al-Ajrab,” with help from U.S. mercenary company Blackwater, according to a report by the Saudi-based news websites Sabq and Al-Marsad.
A 5,000 strong force
The force, which is comprised from 5,000 soldiers, was created under the orders of King Salman bin Abdulaziz who acceded to the throne in 2015.
Fighters in Bin Salman’s force are handpicked after undergoing high-level military training and answer directly to the crown prince.
The brigade, which acts as Salman’s own private army, derives its name from the sword used by the founder of the second Kingdom King Turky bin Abdullah bin Muhammed al-Saud. The Arabic Al-Saif al-Ajrab roughly translates to “the sword that has been rusted with blood.”
Cooperation with UAE
After King Salman bin Abdulaziz acceded to the throne in 2015, a close cooperation between Riyadh and the UAE developed, and a special force consisting of mercenaries was created.
The force, which was created with help from Eric Prince, the founder of the mercenary company Blackwater, plays an active role in Yemen.
It is said that the idea behind creating a special force that is directly linked to the Saudi Crown Prince was hatched following a meeting between Mohammed bin Salman and his close friend UAE’s Prince Zayed.
Force used during the ‘princes operation’
Following the operation that detained princes from the ruling Saudi family in November last year, several news stories surfaced reporting that former Blackwater workers were part of the special security force that carried out Crown Prince Muhammed bin Salman’s operation.
Additionally, it is said that the Al-Ajrab brigade was also part of the operation that resulted in the arrest of influential ruling family members such as the former National Guard Minister Prince Muteab bin Abdullah and Prince Waleed bin Talal, among many others.
The UAE is said to be behind a wave of assassinations that targeted the most prominent anti-U.S. Syrian opposition leaders between 2014- 2015, which paved the way for Daesh and Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) terrorists to advance in opposition-held territories.After obtaining information about the whereabouts of the opposition leaders via its intelligence services, the UAE then passed on these tips to the Assad regime which carried out attacks that killed Jaysh al-Islam commander Zahran Alloush, Ahrar Al-Sham leader Hassan Abboud and 45 high-ranking group members, according to Abu Ali, a member of the opposition group.An attack that killed all leaders of Ahrar Al-ShamZahran Alloush, who was the leader of one of the biggest opposition groups in Syria, Jaysh al-Islam, was martyred on Dec. 25, 2015 following an airstrike on Eastern Ghouta.Ahrar al-Sham leader Hasan Abboud was martyred along with 45 high-ranking members of the prominent opposition groups following a chemical attack that targeted a meeting in their Idlib headquarters on Sept. 9, 2014.According to information divulged by Abu Ali, who served in the Islamic Front for two years between 2014- 2016, the UAE played a role in these assassinations, betraying Syria’s opposition with help from Saudi intelligence.Saudi roleAbu Ali stressed that Saudi Arabia initially played a crucial role in supporting the opposition against the Assad regime through a Saudi intelligence colonel named Abul Kassim who assumed an influential position during that stage. “Commander Alloush’s only communication device was a satellite phone that was given to him by the Saudis, who used it to track his movements before the attack that killed him was carried out,” said Abu Ali.“Following investigations carried out after the attack, it was revealed that UAE first pinpointed his position and then UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah Zayed tipped Bashar Assad’s brother Maher Al-Assad about his whereabouts,” he continued.“We also know that Muhammed Bin Zayed and his brother Abdullah played a role in the 2014 massacre of the Ahrar Al-Sham Emir Hassan Abboud and 45 of his friends,” concluded Abu Ali.Israel knew of the attack“Since 2015, we began to understand more clearly that some groups that were our allies during the war had a different goal. “After 2015, we also saw that some of the information we shared with some of our allies had reached Israel. We learned that information shared with us about the location of Alloush, among other confidential topics, had also reached Israel.“After the assassination, the cooperation between Israel, UAE, Russia and the Assad regime in the killing of Alloush became clear,” pointed out Abu Ali.PKK/Daesh brought to the scene“During the period that saw Ahrar Al-Sham become the target of sabotage, the PKK/PYD and Daesh terror groups were simultaneously becoming more active. That was the beginning of the decline of the resistance front. The phase of assassination and sabotage also began with the martyring of Liwa Al-Tawhid leader Abdulkadir Saleh in Aleppo’s Madraset al-Mashahd,” concluded Abu Ali.The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union and the United States.Turkey-backed National Army formed in SyriaUS attempts to incite Syria’s Arab tribes against Turkish Army
‘UAE, Saudi played role in assassination of Syrian opposition leaders’
Saudi authorities have detained 11 princes after they gathered at a royal palace in Riyadh in a rare protest against austerity measures that included suspending payment of their utility bills, Saudi media reported on Saturday.Saudi officials did not respond immediately to a request for a comment on the report.Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, has introduced reforms that included cutting subsidies, introducing value added tax (VAT) and cutting perks to royal family members to try to cope with a drop in crude prices that has caused a budget deficit estimated at 195 billion riyals in 2018.Online news website sabq.org said the princes had gathered at the Qasr a-Hokm, a historic royal palace, demanding the cancellation of a royal decree that stopped state payment of water and electricity bills for royal family members.They were also demanding compensation for a death sentence issued against a relative, Sabq.org said."They were informed of the error of their demands, but they refused to leave Qasr al-Hokm," Sabq said, quoting unidentified sources. "A royal order was issued to the royal guards ... to intervene and they were detained and put into al-Hayer prison in preparation to put them on trial."It gave no details on the identity of the princes but said the leader of the group had been identified by the initials S.A.S."Everybody is equal before the law and anyone who does not implement regulations and instructions will be held accountable, no matter who he is," the website added.Arabic-language Okaz daily carried a similar report. Reuters could not immediately verify the report.Saudi Arabia last year rounded up dozens of royal family members, current and former senior officials in a crackdown on corruption that has also strengthened the power of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.They were held at the five-star Ritz Hotel in the capital Riyadh while government officials negotiated financial settlements. 
Eleven Saudi princes detained following protest