Saudi Minister: Coalition to tackle Islamic world’s problem

Calling Islamic extremism a disease, Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is also Defence Minister, said that the new military coalition of 34 nations will fight “any terrorist organisation that appears.”

The Prince told a rare news conference that the Riyadh-based coalition will tackle “the Islamic world’s problem with terrorism and will be a partner in the worldwide fight against this scourge.”

Saudi Arabia has repeatedly denounced international terrorism and has itself seen an upsurge of attacks claimed by IS over the past year, against minority Shias and members of the security forces.

Meanwhile, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told reporters in Ankara that his country backed the alliance’s formation.

“Turkey is ready to contribute by all its means to all gatherings that aim to fight terrorism, no matter where or by whom it is organised,” he said.

The IS threat “is the most fundamental challenge to Saudi’s raison d’etat and the security of its citizens,” said Andreas Krieg, a professor at the Department of Defence Studies at King’s College London.

“It is therefore not surprising for Saudi to seek greater cooperation across the board in the fight against militant Islamism,” said Krieg, who also serves as a consultant to the Qatari armed forces.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said Russia awaited more details before evaluating the Saudi announcement about the new coalition.