Pakistani general appointed to head Saudi anti-terror bloc

Saudi Arabia on Wednesday announced that Pakistani General Raheel Sharif would command the Saudi-led Islamic Military Alliance to Fight Terrorism, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

Saudi Crown Prince and Defence Minister Mohammed bin Salman will chair the first meeting of the alliance’s council of defence ministers, the news agency reported.

The meeting — a date for which has yet to be set — will tackle the alliance’s general strategies and planned initiatives in the war against terrorism in line with other international efforts to maintain regional peace and security.

General Sharif, for his part, said the alliance would “provide a practical umbrella for unifying the efforts of Islamic member states”.

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Sharif took command of the Pakistani army in 2013. He retired from Pakistani military service in November of last year.

The Saudi-led anti-terrorism alliance was established in late 2014. It is comprised of 41 member-states, including Turkey, Pakistan Malaysia and Egypt, along with a handful of Arab Gulf states.