Air Force chief may quit over Saudi bomb probe

From Military Affairs Correspondent Jamie McIntyre

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Ronald Fogleman is ready to quit in protest if he disagrees with the Pentagon's latest follow-up to a terrorist bombing that killed 19 U.S. airmen, military sources told CNN.

In addition to the deaths, hundreds of people were injured in the June 25, 1996, truck bomb attack at the Khobar Towers housing complex in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.

The sources said Fogleman has indicated he would resign under either of two conditions:

• If Defense Secretary William Cohen rejects a so-far unreleased Air Force investigation that absolves U.S. commanders of blame for the bombing.

• If Cohen blocks the promotion of Air Force Brig. Gen. Terryl Schwalier, the commander of U.S. forces in Dhahran at the time of the bombing.

Schwalier was singled out for criticism in a Pentagon report issued last year that accused him of not adequately protecting his forces. The report noted that a security fence near the bomb detonation site was too close to the housing complex.

Rush to judgment?

Foglemen blasted the report as a rush to judgment and says that no senior officer should be punished. The Air Force chief of staff is headed for a showdown with Cohen on the issue, the sources said.

Some of Cohen's inner circle have called the unreleased Air Force report a "whitewash" and a few have even suggested that Cohen consider firing Fogleman before he would have a chance to resign.

Officials say the easy way out for Cohen would be to accept a revised version of the Air Force report and punish no one for security shortcomings at Khobar Towers.

Fogelman has avoided any public suggestion he will resign and sources close to him say he's keeping his options open.

But they also say his strong belief that his commanders are being crucified for political reasons is enough to prompt him to resign in protest.

Cohen is not expected to make a decision on whether to accept the Air Force report until after his return from a European trip in the middle of July.

Last week, Canada deported to the United States a Saudi dissident, Hani al-Sayegh, who has been linked to the Khobar Towers bombing.

He has been charged in the United States with conspiracy to commit murder and "international terrorism" against Americans in Saudi Arabia in a separate, unsuccessful plot before last year's truck bombing.

Special Section:

• Terror in Dhahran

• Video Almanac: 1996 -- Saudi blast

Related stories:

• A year after deadly Saudi bombing, U.S. forces carry on - June 25, 1997
• Saudi dissident's plea postponed for medical tests - June 19, 1997
• Impact: Osama Bin Ladin: Holy Terror?
• FBI chief's trip to Saudi Arabia indicates blast probe 'coming to a head' - November 22, 1996
• Massive bomb rocks U.S. military complex - June 26, 1996

Related sites:

• Joint Task Force South West Asia (JTF-SWA)
• Saudi Relocation - Air Force Link

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