Arab leaders agree on joint military force to combat Jihadists
Arab leaders meet in Egypt over the weekend for an annual summit
dominated by Cairo-led calls for a joint military force as Yemen and
several other states teeter on the brink of collapse.
The long-floated idea has been revived by Egyptian President Abdel
Fattah al-Sisi to combat jihadists from the Islamic State (IS) group who
have established a foothold in neighbouring Libya and control large
parts of Iraq and Syria.
It has also been thrust into the spotlight by Yemen's call for regional
intervention to protect President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi from rebels
who have seized the capital and advanced on his southern stronghold.
Saudi Arabia carried out air strikes against the Huthi rebels in Yemen
on Wednesday, launching an operation by a regional coalition that
includes five Gulf states and logistical and intelligence support from
Washington.
Sisi, a former army chief elected after toppling his Islamist
predecessor, has already ordered aerial attacks on jihadists in Libya
following the beheading of Egyptian hostages in February.
He is also fighting IS militants in his country's Sinai Peninsula.
Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi, who had been tasked with overseeing a
report on a joint military force to present to the leaders, told AFP
that summit's "major concern" should be the jihadist threat.
"The most important and what I hope will be the major concern of the
summit is what to do about the unprecedented threats throughout the Arab
word... (from) terrorist organisations," he said.
The two-day summit is being held in the resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh.
'Long way to go'
Sisi said in a recent interview that the proposal for a joint force was
welcomed especially by Jordan, which might participate alongside Saudi
Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.
"Each of these countries would bring a different capability," said
Aaron Reese, the deputy research director at the Washington-based
Institute for the Study of War.
"The Jordanians are well known for their special forces
capability....the Egyptians of course have the most manpower and bases
close to Libya."
Prior to the Egyptian air strikes in February, the United Arab
Emirates, which shares Cairo's antipathy towards Islamists, had
reportedly used Egyptian bases to launch its own air strikes in Libya.
Egypt had sought UN backing for intervention there, dismissing
attempted peace talks between the rival governments in Libya as
ineffective.
But Reese said shared regional interests may not be enough to overcome the many hurdles to forming a joint force.
"There is a long way to go from pledging support or even coordinating
forces toward a truly joint force with a unified command," he said.
Iran, and possibly the United States, might also take umbrage at such a
force, added Mohamed al-Zayat, the head of the Cairo-based National
Centre for Middle East Studies.
"Iran, which is part of the crisis in Syria (by backing President
Bashar al-Assad) and gaining influence in Iraq and Yemen, could be
provoked by such a force," he said.
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