The Saudis did not ask the US to remove forces–American or coalition–from Saudi Arabia. The USG was well aware that UBL was making hay with the allegations and that it would remove pressure, both from the KSA and the USA, for those troops to be gone. The Saudis didn’t need to ask. The removal had been planned several years in advance, particularly with new facilities being built in Qatar that would serve as the foreward HQ for CENTCOM. As soon as the need for Southern Watch expired, the USG took the initiative and, in consulting with the Saudis, picked the time to withdraw the forces. It doesn’t get written about much, but exactly the same thing was happening for Northern Watch, though with the slight difference that the Adana airbase continued to welcome US planes. Adana is a Turkish base that houses NATO forces. It did so before, during, and after Northern Watch.