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Saudi Arabia Forms Anti-Terrorism Bloc

Coalition of 34 countries excludes Iran, Iraq, and Syria.

Saudi Arabia has created a coalition of 34 mostly Muslim countries to work together in the fight against “terrorist organizations,” the kingdom’s defense minister and deputy crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, said Tuesday. The alliance includes countries such as Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Pakistan, Malaysia, and Nigeria, but excludes Saudi Arabia’s regional rival Iran and its allies Iraq and Syria. The aim is to target “any terrorist organization,” not just ISIS, in countries including Iraq, Syria, Libya, Egypt, and Afghanistan, bin Salman said. The coalition’s military operations would follow local laws and cooperate with the international community, he said.