Turkey and Pakistan to deploy forces to Saudi Arabia after Houthi attacks
Three-country declaration orders rapid deployment to the Kingdom after explosions in Riyadh and strikes on multiple targets.
Turkey and Pakistan have announced a rapid deployment of joint military forces to Saudi Arabia following attacks claimed by the Houthi movement that struck Riyadh and other targets in the kingdom, the three countries said on Monday.
Joint statement orders fast deployment
In a joint statement published by Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the three governments said the move was decided at an urgent meeting of the so-called Defence Alliance of Mecca held in Riyadh. The statement said that “the agreed armed forces and military assets” must “be rapidly deployed to the Kingdom.”
Reporters for AFP in Riyadh heard a series of explosions on Monday evening, which followed earlier detonations the same day. The Iran-backed Houthi movement said it had attacked Riyadh's international airport, an Aramco refinery and several other targets across the kingdom.
The three states — predominantly Sunni Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan — formed a defensive pact in early August under the name "Joint Defence Agreement of Mecca" amid rising tensions related to the conflict with Iran and its regional fallout. Under the pact, an attack on one member triggers a defence obligation by the others.
The joint statement did not specify when troops would arrive in Saudi Arabia, nor did it detail the tasks those forces would perform once deployed. Officials at the Riyadh meeting condemned the recent strikes, including those affecting the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, without explicitly naming the Iran-backed Houthi movement.
Questions remain about forces' size, equipment and timeline as regional tensions increase following the Houthi strikes. Diplomats said the Riyadh meeting aimed to coordinate immediate defence measures and to send a deterrent signal to actors behind the attacks.
Photo: arhiva
