Nigeria joins 33 other Islamic countries to fight terrorism

olamide oni

December 16, 2015 12:41 PM

Today there are a number of countries that suffer from terrorism, for example Daesh in Syria and Iraq; terrorism in Sinai, terrorism in Yemen, terrorism in Libya, terrorism in Mali, terrorism in Nigeria, terrorism in Pakistan, terrorism in Afghanistan...

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Saudi Arabia has announced the formation of a group to fight terrorism.

The group, which is a coalition of 34 predominately Muslim nations including Nigeria, is aimed as combating terrorism across the world.

Reports by Al-Jazeera revealed that Mohammed bin Salman, the country’s defence minister and deputy crown prince confirmed this development on Tuesday.

Arab countries such as Qatar and the UAE will join the coalition, as well as Middle Eastern, Asian and African states including Turkey, Pakistan, Malaysia and Nigeria.

Bin Salman says this coalition will “any terrorist organisation, not just ISIL” in countries including Iraq, Syria. Libya, Egypt, and Afghanistan.

In an earlier press statement issued by the Saudi Press Agency, officials said the group would be led by Saudi Arabia, which would host a “joint operations centre to coordinate” efforts.

READ: ‘Terrorism won’t stop overnight,’ Lai Mohammed says

According to CNN, bin Salman said, “This announcement comes from the Islamic world’s vigilance in so it can be a partner, as a group of countries, in the fight against this disease.”

The coalition’s formation comes as the West has stepped up its war against ISIS, which is also known by its Arabic acronym Daesh.

“Today there are a number of countries that suffer from terrorism, for example Daesh in Syria and Iraq; terrorism in Sinai, terrorism in Yemen, terrorism in Libya, terrorism in Mali, terrorism in Nigeria, terrorism in Pakistan, terrorism in Afghanistan and this requires a very strong effort to fight,” Salman said. “Without a doubt, there will be coordination in these efforts.”

olamide oni