Saudi Arabia has announced it’s part of a group of 34 nations that will form a new “Islamic military coalition” to fight terrorism.
According to an announcement from the state-run Saudi Press Agency, the alliance will be Saudi-led and have a join operations center based in the kingdom’s capital, Riyadh.
It’s forming the group because terrorism “should be fought by all means and collaboration should be made to eliminate it,” the statement said.
The coalition includes countries such as Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Libya and Yemen. African nations include Mali, Chad, Somalia and Nigeria, all which have suffered from terror attacks.
Iran, which is Shiite, is not part of the coalition, as Saudi Arabia is part of the military force fighting in Yemen against Shiite Houthi rebels.
Gulf Arab countries such as Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are also part of the coalition though Oman, a neighbor of Saudi Arabia, is not.
Islam forbids “corruption and destruction in the world,” according to the statement, adding that terrorism embodies “a serious violation of human dignity and rights, especially the right to life and the right to security.”
Jordanian spokesman Mohammed Momani would not comment specifically on the alliance, but said the Hashemite kingdom is part of the coalition and that “Jordan is always ready and actively participates in any effort to fight terrorism,” according to the Associated Press.
Saudi Deputy Crown Prince and Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman said in a rare news conference that the new coalition will be working with other countries to support the efforts, which would not be limited to just fighting the Islamic State.
“Currently, every Muslim country is fighting terrorism individually … so coordinating efforts is very important,” he said, adding that the joint operations center will be established in Riyadh to “coordinate and support military operations to fight terrorism” across the Muslim world.
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the effort by the Muslim countries “is a step in the right direction.” Turkey is the only country in the alliance that is also a NATO member.
