An Islamic Military Alliance to Fight Terrorism

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced yesterday the creation of a 34-nation Islamic military alliance to fight terrorism because terrorism "should be fought by all means and collaboration should be made to eliminate it", the Saudis proclaimed.

Led by Saudi Arabia with a joint operations center in the capital, Riyadh, the Islamic coalition members include: Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Mali, Chad, Somalia, Nigeria, United Arab Emirates, Maldives, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Lebanon, Benin, Bangladesh, Comoros, Djibouti, Gabon, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Malaysia, Morocco, Mauritania, Niger, Qatar, Senegal, Sierre Leone, Sudan, Togo, Tunisia and the Palestinians.

While most of the members of the coalition are already fighting terrorism within their borders, this new military alliance holds good promise to a greater coordination and partnership in the fight against terror and not against the Islamic State(IS) alone.

The 34-nation Islamic military alliance and an International Coalition - already fighting the IS, are both poised to deal devastating blows to terror. However, both alliances should remain mindful of the political, social and economic conditions that have fueled terror, especially authoritarianism, historical events and unsettled scores. Terrorism will not disappear overnight until exact attention is paid to the circumstances that contribute to the rise and spread of such terror.

Yet, the Saudi orchestrated Islamic military alliance remains a credible start to fighting terror and to improving global security.