Bahrain king calls for joint efforts to crush terrorism

Hamad says extremism will spread in the region unless Gulf states unite to take decisive action

Bahrain’s King Hamad Bin Eisa Al Khalifa warned on Wednesday that terrorism would spread in the region if no decisive action was taken.

“The scourge of regional terrorwill spread to our territories, unless we take tough measures to stave off any terrorist spillover,” the Bahraini monarch said during a visit to the Bahrain Defence Force ( BDF) General Command Headquarters.

“Other brotherly and friendly countries have undertaken crucial measures to protect their national security and stability, including citizenship rights. Such measures are considered an inalienable right of any state,” KingHamad said.

OnWednesday, a Saudi court sentenced 22 people to jail terms of between two and 27 years on charges ranging from “the establishment of a terrorist cell planning to targeting oil pipelines,” possessing weapons, and planning attacks at home and in Bahrain.

King Hamad will today leave for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where he willmeet Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz.

“We are dealing with nonconventional security challenges ... there are people and organisations trying to sully Bahrain’s reputation at home and abroad and to harm the national economy,” King Hamad said.

“There are some young people who are being lured by extremist groups to commit acts of violence and terrorism. We cannot sit idly as young people are losing their lives.”

King Hamad warned against attempts to exploit social media to foment social unrest under the guise of freedom of opinion and human rights, stressing the need to confront such cyber activities with the power of the law.