Saudi Arabia forms Islamic counterterrorism coalition

The announcement published by the state-run Saudi Press Agency said the coalition is being established because terrorism “should be fought by all means and collaboration should be made to eliminate it”.

“Currently, every Muslim country is fighting terrorism individually…so coordinating efforts is very important”, he said.

The Saudi statement said others have “expressed their support”, including Indonesia, the home of the world’s largest Muslim population.

Countries mentioned in the list included Egypt, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, together with Islamic countries Turkey, Malaysia, Pakistan and Gulf Arab and African states were mentioned in the statement.

Saudi Arabia is cracking down on terrorists at home, who have staged multiple attacks since the kingdom joined the US coalition against Islamic State in 2014.

Mohammed bin Salman, the country’s defense minister and deputy crown prince announced the “Islamic Military Alliance”.

However he did not shed any light on how the military efforts are expected to work.

Prince Mohamed Salman also indicated that the force will combat the Islamic State (IS) as well all other terrorist organizations sowing terror.

She said several dozen countries had received the letter and she would write back saying Germany was on the same side as the USA and was already doing a lot.

Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Arab neighbours had been locked in nine months of warfare with rebels in neighbouring Yemen, launching hundreds of air strikes there.

Thirty-four Muslim countries decided Monday night to establish an anti-terrorism alliance with headquarters in Saudi Arabia, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

“There is no limit in terms of where the assistance would be provided, or to whom it would be provided”, he said.

Dubai/Paris: A new Saudi-led alliance to fight terrorism will share information and train, equip and provide forces if necessary for the fight against IS militants, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir said on Tuesday.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have, however, assumed the main roles in that coalition.

The Local Coordination Committees say Tuesday’s airstrikes on Maaret al-Naasan were carried out by Russian warplanes and that they killed and wounded dozens of people.

“Second – it is clear that the Islamic Coalition is represented by Sunni countries only; will it not play into the hands of the conflict between Sunnis and Shiites?”

Saudi Arabia’s regional rival Iran and its allies Syria and Iraq, were excluded from the alliance despite the states sharing a common enemy in the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group.

Since King Salman ascended to the throne in January, Saudi Arabia has implemented a more assertive regional policy.