SAUDI INTELLIGENCE CHIEF IN AFGHANISTAN

Saudi Arabia’s intelligence chief met top officials in Afghanistan. There may be behind-the-scenes effort to smooth hostilities between the Afghan government and insurgents.
Prince Muqrin Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud also had meetings with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, other government leaders, and the opposition leader Burhanuddin Rabbani.  As the security situation in Afghanistan deteriorates, Saudi Arabia has been attempting to play a low-profile role in trying to bridge the differences between Karzai’s government and some members of the insurgency. Reportedly last September, Taliban members met with Afghan and Pakistani officials during a dinner hosted by the Saudi King. No positive outcome of that meeting is reported.