Saudi ’Anti-Terrorism’ Alliance Marks Controversy, Sparks Criticism, Confusion

Local Editor

Currently leading a military intervention against civilians in Yemen, Saudi Arabia said Tuesday that 34 nations agreed to form a new "military alliance" to fight terrorism with a joint operations center based in the kingdom's capital, Riyadh, noting that the statement didn't name "ISIS" terrorist group in particular.

The announcement published by the state-run Saudi Press Agency said the alliance will be led by the kingdom and is being established because terrorism "should be fought by all means and collaboration should be made to eliminate it."

The new coalition however faced immediate criticism for a failure to denounce and target the "ISIS" terrorist group specifically.

In addition, the statement made no direct reference to the growing dominance of the "ISIS" militant group on its border, instead citing the general need to "combat terrorism and to save international peace and security".

States in the list included: Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Bahrain, Tunisia, Djibouti, Sudan, Somalia, Palestine, Comoros, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Egypt, Morocco, Mauritania, Benin, Chad, Togo, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Gabon, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Maldives and Malaysia.

However, key-player countries in the region such as Iran, Iraq, oman and Syria didn't participate in such dubious alliance.

Ironically, the country, engaged in a deadly military campaign against Yemen, is a leading exporter of the Wahhabi ideology, which a number of nations, including the European Union, have identified as a key element in supporting terrorism.

For their part, leading international human rights organizations have always been criticizing Saudi Arabia for severe human rights violations, inhumane executions and targeting religious minorities, women, and others for systemic discrimination.

In the context, the London-based Organization for Democracy and Freedom in Syria stated that the international community should be more critical of the new Saudi-led anti-terror coalition, which includes nations who incite sectarian and religious violence.

Including Pakistan in Saudi Alliance Sparks Confusion

Saudi inclusion of Pakistan in the military alliance against terrorism sparked much confusion on Tuesday after officials in Islamabad said they were unaware of any such development.

When contacted, a senior official of Pakistan's Foreign Office said they were gathering details about the newly formed alliance. "We came to know about it through news reports. We have asked our ambassador in Saudi Arabia to get details on it," he said, suggesting that Pakistan has been caught off guard by the Saudi announcement.

Earlier this year, Saudi Arabia also mentioned Pakistan among the list of countries which were part of its alliance against the Ansarullah revolutionaries in Yemen. But Islamabad distanced itself from the Saudi alliance and instead called for a political solution to the conflict.

According to officials in Islamabad, the country wants to tread a careful path as it can neither afford any strain in ties with Iran nor undermine efforts to improve ties with Russia by joining the Saudi alliance.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team