Chiefs of staff of the Islamic coalition formed by Saudi Arabia to counter terrorism highlighted the importance of the military and the exchange of information in fighting terrorism in a Sunday statement.
The statement moreover noted that the chiefs of staff will continue their counter terrorism efforts through joint cooperation.
During the coalition’s first meeting in Riyadh, the chiefs of staff called for taking all measures to develop more policies and laws to monitor the funding of terrorist groups. They further pointed to the importance of employing education and media in the fight against extremism.
A meeting between the coalition’s defence ministers is set to be held soon to reinforce the role of the coalition, according to the statement.
In December 2015, Saudi Arabia announced the formation of a 34-state Islamic coalition to combat terrorism, which raised questions at the time over its motives and implications regarding the balance of power in the region.
The coalition would confront not only the “Islamic State” (IS) but “any terrorist organisation that appears in front of us”, according to its establishing statement.
Egyptian foreign minister Sameh Shoukry said earlier this month that Egypt’s participation in any international coalition comes within the aim of protect Arab national security.
In an interview with the state-owned newspaper Al-Ahram, Shoukry however said the Egyptian contribution to the international coalition against terrorism is limited to support and information exchange for the sake of fighting extremism.
