Islamic 'anti-terror' bloc army chiefs meet in Riyadh

Military chiefs-of-staff from members of a Saudi-led, 34-nation coalition of Muslim states devoted to fighting “terrorism” convened in Riyadh on Sunday.

The meeting is the first of its kind since the coalition was unveiled by Saudi Arabia last December.

According to the official Saudi Press Agency, Sunday’s meeting is aimed at “coordinating efforts and setting the cornerstone for implementing military, intellectual, financial and media strategies for fighting terrorism”.

Along with Saudi Arabia, the coalition includes Jordan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Turkey, Tunisia, Djibouti, Sudan, Somalia, Palestine, Comoros, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Maldives, Mali, Malaysia, Morocco, Mauritania, Nigeria and Yemen, along with nine countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Significantly, neither Iraq nor Syria — the governments of which are both close to Shia Iran — are listed as members of the coalition.