Pakistan, Turkiye edge closer towards joining Saudi war against Houthis
Pakistani and Turkish military chiefs head to Riyadh for urgent talks, but both countries remain cautious on involvement
Islamabad, Pakistan — Turkiye and Pakistan are rushing their military chiefs to Riyadh in response to a call from Saudi Arabia for an urgent meeting on implementing their mutual defence agreement, amid the escalating war against the Houthis in Yemen that has spilled over into Saudi territory.
Turkiye’s Defence Ministry confirmed on Friday that General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu, the chief of general staff, will be travelling to Saudi Arabia.
Pakistan’s chief of defence forces, Field Marshal Asim Munir, is also expected to arrive in the Saudi capital soon, Al Jazeera has learned, though the Inter-Services Public Relations, Pakistan’s military media wing, did not respond to a request for confirmation on whether Munir had departed for Riyadh.
Grand Mufti Sheikh Saleh Al-Fawzan called on forces to “stand united against this misguided sect and deviant group”, referring to the Houthis.