Turkey and Pakistan to ‘quickly’ deploy troops to Saudi Arabia
Saudi, Pakistani and Turkish military chiefs in Riyadh. Photo: Reuters
Turkey and Pakistan will ‘quickly’ deploy troops to Saudi Arabia as part of a new mutual defense alliance amid increasing attacks by Iran aligned Houthi rebels in Yemen. The three countries announced this on Monday.
The decision was taken at an emergency meeting of the Mecca Defense Alliance in Riyadh on Monday. The matter was announced in a joint statement issued after the meeting.
The statement said Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey have decided to implement a joint defense commitment to strengthen Saudi Arabia's security. As part of this commitment the necessary steps will be taken to quickly deploy military forces and military capabilities to Saudi Arabia.
The statement further said the necessary measures would be taken immediately to implement the joint defense commitment. This will strengthen Saudi Arabia's military preparedness and defense coordination as well as the combined capabilities of the three countries.
The meeting strongly condemned attempts to target Mecca and Medina as well as ongoing attacks on various cities, civilian facilities and economic infrastructure in Saudi Arabia. The three countries rejected any attack or threat against the security and territorial integrity of Saudi Arabia.
The three countries said the security of one country is an inseparable part of the collective security of the other two countries. Implementing the joint defense commitment will further strengthen the deterrence capabilities and defense cooperation of the three countries.
Meanwhile as part of establishing the institutional structure of the alliance retired Pakistani Lieutenant General Nauman Mahmood has been appointed as its first secretary general for a three year term.
However the joint statement did not provide details on how many troops or which specific military units and equipment would be deployed to Saudi Arabia.
Source: Arab News (Adapted)
