Since Saudi Arabia houses Mecca and Medina , Islam 's holiest sites , many Muslims were upset at the permanent military presence . The continued presence of US troops in Saudi Arabia after the war was one of the stated motivations behind the 11 September terrorist attacks , the Khobar Towers bombing , and the date chosen for the 1998 US embassy bombings ( 7 August ) , which was eight years to the day that US troops were sent to Saudi Arabia . Osama bin Laden interpreted the Islamic prophet Muhammad as banning the " permanent presence of infidels in Arabia " . In 1996 , bin Laden issued a fatwa , calling for US troops to leave Saudi Arabia . In a December 1999 interview with Rahimullah Yusufzai , bin Laden said he felt that Americans were " too near to Mecca " and considered this a provocation to the entire Islamic world
11 September terrorist attacks
September 11 attacks
Gulf War