At a summit overshadowed by a Saudi-led offensive on Shia Houthi rebels in Yemen, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has announced that the Arab nations have agreed to form a joint military force.
According to the resolution adopted by the leaders on the last day of the weekend meeting in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh, the Arab representatives would meet over the next month to study the creation of a military force.
Sisi explained that the move was prompted by “the great challenges facing our Arab nation and threatening its capabilities.”
Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi said ahead of the summit that the decision was focused on battling jihadists who have captured large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria and secured a foothold in Libya.
Referring to the Islamic State ( IS ), Arabi had told the meeting on Sunday that the Middle East region was threatened by a “destructive” force that posed a risk to “ethnic and religious diversity.”
Egypt had pressed Arab leaders for the creation of a rapid response force to fight militants. The issue gained urgency earlier this week after Saudi Arabia and Arab allies launched air strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen.
