According to documents leaked by WikiLeaks, a secret treaty among Qatar, Turkey and Saudi Arabia shows they intended to overthrow the Syrian government. The revelation came from Julian Assange, the founder of the controversial website.
Assange claimed to a Russian TV channel Sunday that the secret deal had been signed by the Gulf nations in 2012. He added that Western powers like France, Britain and the United States were also involved in the secret agreement.
However, Assange said that U.S. allies in the Middle East acted in a more hostile manner. Saudi Arabia even acted against Washington’s instructions, Press TV reported.
The leaked documents are among hundreds of thousands of government papers that apparently revealed secret information about a number of key Middle Eastern powers, especially Saudi Arabia. The leaked documents also allegedly include internal communications among Saudi embassies around the world.
The political unrest in Syria has killed more than 230,000 people since 2011. The U.S. government and its allies have been aiding militant groups in Syria in its fight against government forces.
WikiLeaks also released documents claiming Riyadh had contacts with one of the most dangerous rivals of the United States in Afghanistan. Saudi Arabia has been a U.S. ally for years, but Washington has expressed concerns over allegations that Saudi donors sponsor the Afghan insurgency as well as other militant groups in the region, the Wall Street Journal reported.