Oman has joined the Saudi-led coalition of Muslim countries to fight extremist militants, Saudi News Agency (SPA) said in a statement Wednesday quoting a Saudi official.
Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, second deputy premier and defense minister, has received a letter from his Omani counterpart Sayyid Badr bin Saud Al-Busaidi, Minister Responsible for Defense Affairs, announcing Oman’s decision to join the Islamic military alliance, according to the statement.
Oman is now the 41st country to join the coalition, which was unveiled by Riyadh in December 2015.
Prince Mohammed bin Salman expressed the Kingdom’s appreciation to Oman’s leadership for its support for Saudi Arabia’s efforts.
The letter was conveyed to the defense minister by Ahmad Hilal Al-Busaidi, Omani ambassador to Saudi Arabia.
Previously, Mohammed bin Salman said that the alliance would operate on UN and OIC provisions on "terrorism," which affirms the “right of states to self-defense.”
“We have a number of countries suffering from terrorism, including Syria, Iraq, Sinai, Yemen, Libya, Mali, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, and this requires very strong efforts to fight it. Undoubtedly through this alliance, there will be coordination to fight it ...” the deputy crown prince said as he announced the formation of the coalition last year.
He said that the alliance would not focus only on certain groups such as Daesh, known also as the Islamic State, but confront terrorist operators across the world. He said that operations in Syria would “obviously” not be carried out without working with legitimate groups and the international community.
Editor's note: This article has been edited from the source material.
