Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will inaugurate the first meeting of the council of defense ministers of the Islamic Military Alliance to Fight Terrorism (IMAFT) in Riyadh next Sunday. The inaugural meeting, held under the theme “Allied Against Terrorism”, will witness the participation of ministers of defense of IMCTC member countries and their accompanying delegations.
The council showcases the general strategy of IMAFT in addition to future activities and initiatives in fighting terrorism. Its agenda includes defining the role of IMAFT, which was established by Saudi Arabia to be an executive arm of the coalition. The kingdom deployed high-level diplomatic channels to be informed of achievements made by Islamic states in fighting terrorism.
Lieutenant General Abdulelah al-Saleh, the IMCTC Acting Secretary General said: “This meeting marks the official launch of the IMCTC’s operations at our center in Riyadh.” He added, “The center provides an open platform for willing IMCTC member countries to exchange best practices and coordinate their counter-terrorism efforts, enabling culturally appropriate regional and local solutions to counter terrorism."
General Rahil Sharif, the military commander of the IMCTC, said that facing extremism and terrorism is one of the biggest challenges in the 21st century. At a time when confronting terrorism complexity is increasing and demanding supplementary resources, terrorist organizations still pose real threats to global security and stability.
The coalition was formed following an initiative by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and was announced in December 2015 in order to unify efforts exerted by Islamic states in facing terrorism.
In a meeting in March 2016 in Riyadh, chiefs of staff in the Islamic states asserted their determination to intensify efforts in facing terrorism via joint work based on the capabilities and wish of each member state in the initiatives or programs of the coalition.
The strategic vision of the coalition is represented in the fact that participating countries be capable of coordinating and unifying efforts in the media and intellectual fields, fighting terrorism-funding, militarily confronting all forms of extremism and terrorism and contributing to international efforts to maintain security and peace.
The Islamic coalition aims to boost contribution of Islamic states in maintaining international peace and security via providing an added value to international efforts to fight terrorism and consolidate Islamic solidarity. It also seeks preserving the correct Islamic concept and spreading Islam values such as mercy, justice, peace and coexistence among all despite religion, sect or race.
