Saudi Arabia announces 34-nation Islamic military alliance to combat terrorism

SAUDI Arabia last night announced the formation of a 34-state Islamic military coalition to fight terrorism, raising hopes that a global alliance against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) was coming closer.

The countries named included Gulf states such as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates as well as Egypt and Pakistan.

The announcement follows criticism in the US that Saudi Arabia was not doing enough to tackle the rise of the Isil – and might even be backing it as part of a proxy war with Iran.

The statement said the alliance would have a joint operations centre in Riyadh and would co-ordinate with other major powers.

However, it remains to be seen whether the new coalition will join an American-led alliance in bombing Isil in Syria and Iraq.

The announcement came shortly after Barack Obama said the US and its allies were “hitting Isil harder than ever”. Speaking from the Pentagon, the US president said 40 per cent of the populated territory once controlled by Isil had been reclaimed, and promised the offensive would continue “with a great sense of urgency”.

“As we squeeze its heart, we’ll make it harder for Isil to pump its terror and propaganda to the rest of the world,” he added. Mr Obama announced that his defence secretary would travel to the Middle East to solicit further contributions from coalition members.

He also cited the high-profile scalps claimed in the strikes, including Mohammed Emwazi, the London-raised killer known as Jihadi John. The White House had not confirmed Emwazi’s death before now.

His statement appeared designed as a rebuttal to criticism that he underestimated Isil and failed to put together a coherent strategy to defeat the group.

A CNN/ORC poll this month found 64 per cent of Americans disapproved of Mr Obama’s approach.