Saudi Arabia has said 34 mainly Islamic nations including Bangladesh have joined a new military alliance to fight terrorism.
A joint operations centre is to be established in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, state media reported, reports BBC.
Countries from Asia, Africa and the Arab world are involved in the alliance but Saudi Arabia’s main regional rival Iran is not.
It comes amid international pressure for Gulf Arab states to do more in the fight against so-called Islamic State.
Saudi defence minister Mohammed bin Salman said the new alliance would co-ordinate efforts against extremists in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Egypt and Afghanistan. Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria are not in the coalition.
‘This comes from the Islamic world’s vigilance in fighting this disease [Islamic extremism] which has damaged the Islamic world,’ Prince Mohammed said.
‘Currently, every Muslim country is fighting terrorism individually… so co-ordinating efforts is very important.’
Officials at Bangladesh’s foreign ministry said the Bangladesh joined the alliance at the request from Saudi Arabia.
The coalition would not just focus on fighting IS, he added. Few other details have been given.
The SPA state news agency said 10 other ‘Islamic countries’ had expressed support, including Indonesia.
Prince Mohammed said: ‘These countries have procedures to go through before joining the coalition, but out of keenness to achieve this coalition as soon as possible, [the alliance of] 34 countries has been announced.’
In announcing the coalition, SPA stated that Islam forbids ‘corruption and destruction in the world’ and that terrorism represents ‘a serious violation of human dignity and rights, especially the right to life and the right to security’.
Saudi Arabia is part of the US-led coalition against IS and is also leading a military intervention in Yemen against Shia Houthi rebels.
The list of 34 members: Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Benin, Chad, Comoros, Cote d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Gabon, Guinea, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Morocco, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Palestinians, Qatar, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
Source: New Age
