RIYADH - Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has removed veteran deputy defense minister Prince Khaled bin Sultan from his post, state media reported on Saturday, the latest move in a reshuffle among princes holding government jobs in the US-allied kingdom.
Switches of important posts between princes are closely watched because they indicate possible changes in the line of succession in the monarchy, the dominant power among Gulf Arab states and the world's biggest oil exporter.Prince Khaled was head of the Saudi armed forces during the 1991 Gulf War but was passed over for the job of Defense Minister in 2011 after the death of his father, Crown Prince Sultan, who had held the position for five decades.
