Counter terrorism coalition meets in Riyadh

Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, is set to host the first meeting of a 41-member military coalition to counter terrorism today (Sunday).

The Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition includes defence ministers, diplomats and officials of 41 Muslim countries, all of whom will gather for the day-long conference, which is expected to be opened by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

Lt. Gen. Abdulelah Al Saleh, the IMCTC acting secretary-general said: “The meeting marks the official launch of the IMCTC’s operations at our centre in Riyadh.

“The centre provides an open platform for willing IMCTC member countries to exchange best practices and coordinate their counter-terrorism efforts, enabling culturally appropriate regional and local solutions to counter terrorism.”

The conference is expected to cover topics including ideology, military, communications, and counter financing in the memebers’ fight against terrorism. Saudi Central Bank governor Dr Ahmed Al Kholifey is due to speak at the congress, along with the coalition’s military commander General Raheel Sharif – Pakistan’s former army chief.

In a statement ahead of the meeting, General Sharif said: “The biggest challenge in the 21st century, especially in the Muslim world, is confronting the dangerous phenomenon of terrorism. The IMCTC encompasses an integrated approach to coordinate and unite on the four key domains of ideology, communications, counter-terrorism financing, and military, in order to fight all forms of terrorism and extremism and to effectively join other international security and peacekeeping efforts.”

The coalition was formed by Saudi Arabia in December 2015 “to form a unified pan-Islamic front against terrorism”.