A Blog by the Editor of The Middle East Journal

Putting Middle Eastern Events in Cultural and Historical Context

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Saudi King Raises SANG to Cabinet Rank

Saudi King ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abd al-‘Aziz, who before his ascent to throne was the longtime head of the Saudi Arabian National Guard (SANG), has elevated the National Guard to Ministerial Rank, and has elevated its commander, the King's son Prince Mut‘ib bin ‘Abdullah, to be the first National Guard Minister.

This move appears to disprove a wild report in Iran's totally unreliable Press TV which claimed the King had been clinically dead for several days. Though most people know better than to rely on Iranian propaganda channels for Saudi news, this reportedly was repeated for a time on Britain's Daily Mail website.

Back in the real world, the promotion of the National Guard to a separate ministry serves to solidify kthe control of the King's immediate family over the Guard, retaining its independence from the Ministry of Defense.

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