DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has announced the formation of a 35-state Islamic military coalition to combat terrorism.
The statements came after a cabinet meeting was held in the Saudi capital Riyadh, according to the Saudi Press Agency
The Islamic military coalition's headquarters will be in Riyadh, according to the statement, where a Joint Operations Center will be set up and military engagements will be coordinated.
Speaking at a press conference in Riyadh Saudi Deputy Crown Prince and Minister of Defense, Prince Mohammed Bin Salman said that the coalition will "target all terrorist organisations in the Islamic world".
"Every country will be participating according to its capabilities and we will not only fight Daesh, but any terrorist group," Salman said in his televised press conference.
Countries that have signed up to join the coalition are:
- the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- Jordan
- the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan
- Bahrain
- Bangladesh
- Benin
- Turkey
- Chad
- Togo
- Tunisia
- Djibouti
- Senegal
- Sudan
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- Gabon
- Guinea
- the Comoros Islands
- Qatar
- Ivory Coast
- Kuwait
- Lebanon
- Libya
- the Maldives
- Mali
- Malaysia
- Egypt
- Morocco
- Mauritania
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Uganda
- Yemen
- Palestine
Email: amustafa@defensenews.com
Awad Mustafa was a Middle East and Africa correspondent for Defense News.
