RIYADH: The Saudi government has announced that it would lead a 34-nation alliance against terrorist groups, with a joint operations center set up in Riyadh.
The countries are Jordan, UAE, Pakistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Benin, Turkey, Chad, Togo, Tunisia, Djibouti, Senegal, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Gabon, Guinea, Palestine, Comoros, Qatar, Cote d’Ivoire, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Maldives, Mali, Malaysia, Egypt, Morocco, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria and Yemen.
“More than 10 other (Muslim-majority) countries have expressed their support for this alliance and will take the necessary measures in this regard, including Indonesia,” the government announced in a statement carried by the SPA.
At a press conference on Monday night at King Salman Air Base in Riyadh, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, said that the alliance would operate on UN and OIC provisions on terrorism, which affirms the “right of states to self-defense.”
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He said the alliance consists of nations making up most of the Islamic world, which are committed to fighting this “disease which affects first” the Islamic world and then the international community. “Today, every Islamic country is fighting terrorism individually. The coordination of efforts is very important”. (Arab News)