https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/16/world/middleeast/saudi-arabia-money-syria.html Saudi Arabia Delivers $100 Million Pledged to U.S. as Pompeo Lands in Riyadh BEIRUT, Lebanon — This summer, Saudi Arabia promised the Trump administration $100 million for American efforts to stabilize areas in Syria liberated from the Islamic State. That money landed in American accounts on Tuesday, the same day that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo landed in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, for discussions with the kingdom’s leaders about the fate of a missing Saudi dissident. Securing the funding is a win for President Trump, who has complained about how much the United States spends abroad and has tried to get allies to foot more of the bill. But the timing of the money’s arrival raised eyebrows even among some of the bureaucrats whose programs will benefit from the influx of cash.
The dissident journalist was beaten and had his fingers cut off, according to the news account. Otaibi asked for the torture to be done outside his office, saying: “You will put me in trouble.” “If you want to live when you come back to Arabia, shut up,” the consul was told by a Saudi hit team who had flown to Istanbul hours before Khashoggi’s planned visit to the consulate, where he had expected to pick up legal papers he needed to get married. Khashoggi was beheaded and his body was cut up. A Saudi forensics specialist Salah Muhammad al-Tubaigy can be heard putting on headphones to listen to music and telling others to do the same while the body was dismembered, according to the reports. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...eet-erdogan-as-gory-reports-of-killing-emerge