HYDERABAD, Oct 6 — Pakistan and Turkiye will deploy troops to Saudi Arabia as the three countries have decided to take “practical measures” as part of their joint defence agreement amid Houthi threats against the Gulf kingdom.
The announcement came after the Strategic Political and Defence Committee, set up under the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, met in Riyadh on Monday.
“The committee decided to move immediately to the practical implementation of the collective defense commitments and to take the necessary measures to provide the agreed military forces and capabilities and ensure their rapid deployment in the Kingdom,” the three countries said in a joint statement.
It is being done to enhance “readiness, military integration, and the collective capacity” to counter threats.
The joint defence pact signed in August considers an attack on any one as an attack on all three members.
“The parties affirmed that the security of each party is an integral part of the collective security of the three countries, and that translating the Makkah Agreement for Joint Defense into practical measures demonstrates the credibility of the commitment to collective defense, strengthens the effectiveness of deterrence, and reaffirms the unity and determination of our three countries to defend their security, sovereignty, and territorial integrity,” they said in Monday’s statement.
The Riyadh meeting endorsed the nomination of Pakistan’s retired Lieutenant General Nauman Mahmood as the first secretary-general of the alliance for a period of three years.
The parties “also condemned in the strongest terms the attempted targeting of Makkah and Madinah, as well as the continuing attacks targeting cities and civilian and economic facilities in the Kingdom”, the statement noted.
Saudi Arabia has suffered many drone attacks by Yemen’s Houthi group.
Meanwhile, Yemen is witnessing fresh military escalation as the Yemeni armed forces have launched an offensive to take the Houthi-held capital Sanaa and other key areas.
