A new dawn

Echoing Kingdom of Bahrain’s stance against terrorism, Saudi Arabia has announced the formation of a military coalition of 34 countries to fight terrorism. Bahrain has also been included in the coalition to eliminate the scourge of terrorism from the world. The alliance would share intelligence, combat violent ideology and deploy troops if necessary.

“This announcement comes from the Islamic world’s vigilance in fighting this disease so it can be a partner, as a group of countries, in the fight against this disease,” Saudi Deputy Crown Prince and Defence Minister Mohammed bin Salman said.

The coalition’s formation comes as the West has stepped up its war against ISIS, which is also known by its Arabic acronym Daesh.

“Today there are a number of countries that suffer from terrorism, for example Daesh in Syria and Iraq; terrorism in Sinai, terrorism in Yemen, terrorism in Libya, terrorism in Mali, terrorism in Nigeria, terrorism in Pakistan, terrorism in Afghanistan and this requires a very strong effort to fight,” Salman said. “Without a doubt, there will be coordination in these efforts.”

Coalition’s joint operations centre will be based in Riyadh. 

In addition to Saudi Arabia, the coalition will include Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Benin, Turkey, Chad, Togo, Tunisia, Djibouti, Senegal, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Gabon, Guinea, the Palestinians, Comoros, Qatar, Cote d’Ivoire, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Maldives, Mali, Malaysia, Egypt, Morocco, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria and Yemen.

“Nothing is off the table. A number of countries are in desperate need of assistance,” Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir said.

“Terrorism has hit Islamic countries. It is time that the Islamic world takes a stand,” he told reporters in
Paris.

The alliance was announced by Mohammed bin Salman on the same day that peace talks between the Yemeni government and Iran-backed rebels began in Switzerland, accompanied by a ceasefire.