Saudi Arabia forms anti-terrorism alliance

Saudi Arabia has joined forces with 34 mainly Muslim nations to form a military alliance against terrorism, international media.

According to state media reports, the coalition will form a joint operations centre in the country’s capital Riyadh.

The announcement comes as international pressure has mounted over recent months for Gulf Arab states to do more in the fight against so-called Islamic State.

Saudi Arabia is also part of the US-led coalition against IS and it is also leading a military intervention in Yemen against Shia Houthi rebels.

The BBC reports that countries from Asia, Africa and the Arab world are involved in the alliance but Saudi Arabia's main regional rival Iran is not, and Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria are not in the coalition.

According to reports, the new alliance will co-ordinate efforts against extremists in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Egypt and Afghanistan, and it would not just focus on fighting IS.

State news agencies also claim that 10 other "Islamic countries" had expressed support, including Indonesia. The 34 members of the coalition are; Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Benin, Chad, Comoros, Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Gabon, Guinea, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Morocco, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Palestinians, Qatar, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.