ISTANBUL (AA) – Thirty-four Muslim countries decided Monday night to establish an anti-terrorism alliance with headquarters in Saudi Arabia, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
SPA said the coalition comes within the context of an anti-terrorism agreement signed by member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
In a Tuesday statement, OIC Secretary-General Iyad Madani said the organization supports all regional and international efforts aimed at fighting terrorism.
Madani said that the OIC member states are among “the hardest-hit by terrorism.”
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu praised the new coalition Tuesday, stating that it is the strongest answer to those trying to link terrorism to Islam.
Jordanian government spokesman Mohammad Momani said his country welcomes the coalition and is ready to contribute to its success, according to Petra news agency.
The Arab Parliament said in a statement that it is ready to support the coalition.
The U.S. State Department welcomed the new alliance. “It certainly is in line with what we have long been saying and urging countries in the region to do, which is to coalesce around the need to deal with the terrorist threat there in the region,” spokesman John Kirby said in a news briefing.
The anti-terrorism coalition includes Saudi Arabia, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Benin, Turkey, Chad, Togo, Tunisia, Djibouti, Senegal, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Gabon, Guinea, Palestine, Comoros, Qatar, Cote d’Ivoire, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Maldives, Mali, Malaysia, Egypt, Morocco, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria and Yemen.
Neither Iraq nor Syria – whose governments are close to Shia Muslim Iran – are members.
