Anti-terrorism alliance to meet in Riyadh next week

By Ahmed al-Masri

DOHA

The defense ministers of a Saudi-led anti-terrorism alliance of Muslim countries will meet in Saudi capital Riyadh on Nov. 26, according to the official SPA news agency.

The meeting of the Islamic Military Alliance to Fight Terrorism aims at "strengthening cooperation and integration” among the alliance members, SPA said.

Representatives of diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia will attend the meeting, the agency said.

The 41-member bloc was launched by Saudi Arabia in late 2015 with a view to fighting terrorism. It includes countries as Turkey, Pakistan, Malaysia and Egypt.

SPA said the meeting would mark the “actual start” of the military alliance and coordination against extremism and terrorism.

A declaration issued by a recent Arab-US-Islamic summit in Riyadh in May unveiled that the alliance member-states were ready to deploy 34,000 troops with a view to supporting operations against terrorist groups in Iraq and Syria.