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RIYADH. — Military chiefs from around the world will gather in the Saudi capital today to assess the battle against Islamic State extremists, diplomatic sources said. The two-day meeting, a follow-up to earlier talks, will gather “all the countries that are involved” in the United States-led fight against IS, including Gulf nations, one of the sources said.
“I think it’ll be sort of a general appraisal of where we’re at, what needs to be done,” added the source, who asked for anonymity.
Another diplomatic source said the meeting is “more an exchange of information” and a chance for co-ordination, rather than a forum for major decisions.
The talks among defence chiefs and their deputies coincide with the rise of IS in Libya, which has heightened concerns in the region after the group seized parts of Iraq and Syria last year.
Arab states have intensified their bombing of IS targets since the jihadists in early February claimed to have burned alive the Jordanian fighter pilot Maaz al-Kassasbeh, whose plane went down over Syria last year.
Jordan’s information minister on Monday said Bahrain had deployed fighter jets in the kingdom to support the anti-IS air campaign.
Also Monday, the state news agency in the United Arab Emirates said its Jordanian-based warplanes hit oil refineries run by the jihadists.
The same day, Egypt carried out its first announced military action against IS in Libya, after the militants released a video showing the beheading of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians.
Regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia has since September been participating in the air strikes against IS in Syria.
The Pentagon announced last month that the first of nearly 1 000 US military personnel would soon begin deploying to Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar. — AFP.
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