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Turkey and Pakistan to send troops to Saudi Arabia under defence pact
Euronews.com • • world
Key Points:
- Turkey, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia have agreed to rapidly deploy troops to Saudi Arabia under the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, a pact signed in August committing mutual aid in case of attacks.
- The alliance unites Turkey's large NATO army, Pakistan's nuclear-armed forces, and Saudi Arabia, the Gulf's largest power, in response to escalating attacks from Yemen's Houthis.
- An emergency meeting in Riyadh reaffirmed their rejection of attacks on Saudi Arabia, especially those targeting the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, and agreed to implement collective defense measures immediately.
- The specific roles of the deployed troops in Saudi Arabia were not detailed, but the move aims to bolster Saudi security amid repeated Houthi assaults on cities, oil infrastructure, and shipping.
- The Houthi group launched a significant offensive in September, seizing territory from Yemen's government, which is now conducting a counteroffensive with Saudi support to reclaim lost areas.
