Saudi declares war on terror at summit

Riyadh : Saudi Arabia yesterday declared a “war against terrorism” saying the Kingdom will not allow terrorists to tarnish the image of Islam.

 “We will not allow such elements to tarnish the image of Islam,” Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman said, opening the inaugural meeting of 41-member Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC) in Riyadh.

Defence chiefs, diplomats and officials from 40 Muslim countries attended the first meeting of an Islamic counter-terrorism alliance, a move Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman declared a “clear signal” to extremism.

“In past years, terrorism has been functioning in all of our countries... with no coordination” among them, he said in his keynote speech. “This ends today, with this alliance.”

Prince Mohammed said the 40 countries were sending a “clear signal” that they would “work together to support the military, financial, intelligence and political efforts of every member state”. The Saudi Crown Prince expressed condolences to Egypt where a deadly terrorist attack killed over 300 people in the restive north Sinai province.

The alliance was formed in 2015 under the auspices of Prince Mohammed, whose rapid ascent since his appointment as heir to the throne in June has shaken the political scene across the region. The meeting also comes as several military coalitions, with backers including both Iran and the United States, close in on the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.

Retired Pakistani general Raheel Sharif has been appointed commander-in-chief of the alliance.

Defence Minister attends summit

Defence Affairs Minister Lt-Gen Yusuf bin Ahmed Al-Jalahma participated in the first meeting of Defence Ministers Council of the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC) held yesterday.

Bahrain’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Shaikh Hamoud bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations, Maj-Gen Ghanim Ibrahim Al-Fadhala, Naval Captain Khalid Abdulrahman bin Hindi; and Captain Ali Mohammed Al-Romaihi also attended the summit.