Arabs to form unified force to counter security threats

Sharm El-Sheikh, March 29

Arab leaders at a summit in Egypt announced the formation of a unified military force to counter growing security threats from Yemen to Libya, and as regional heavyweights Saudi Arabia and Iran engage in sectarian proxy wars.

Working out the mechanism and logistics of the unified force, an idea floated by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, could take months.

Previous, similar schemes have failed to produce tangible results in the divided Arab world. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri told a news conference the Arab force would be voluntary, meaning no one country would be forced to take part and it could give member states flexibility should differences arise. At least two countries have committed to the force, he added.

The unified force would be supervised by the chiefs of staffs of Arab armed forces, Sisi told the summit. The dangers facing the region since the Arab Spring uprisings of 2011 are stark and complex.

While conflicts intensify in Yemen and Libya, the civil war in Syria is entering its fifth year. Egypt, the most populous Arab state, faces an Islamist militant insurgency.

Islamic State militants have taken over swathes of Iraq and Syria and spawned splinter groups across the Arab world. The United States and other major powers are seeking a final nuclear deal with Iran, in a process that worries many Sunni Arab leaders wary of Shi’ite Iran’s growing regional influence.

The summit final communique called for “coordination, efforts and steps to establish an unified Arab force” to intervene in countries such as Yemen.

The move came after Saudi Arabia patched together a 10-nation Arab coalition against Houthi fighters who have made rapid advances in Yemen and launched military strikes against them on Thursday.

Arab leaders said the Saudi-led operation would continue until the Iranian-allied Houthis withdraw, and hand over their weapons and the country is united.

The Saudi-led operation in Yemen has underlined the rivalry between the predominantly Sunni kingdom and Shia Iran and it could inflame sectarian proxy conflicts that have spread in the Middle East since the Arab Spring uprisings of 2011. — Reuters

Air strikes cripple Yemen’s main airport

Saudi-led warplanes bombed Yemen's main international airport and struck a renegade troop base in the capital, as Arab leaders vowed today to pummel Iranian-backed rebels until they surrender

The raids on the country's main air gateway came just hours after UN workers were evacuated following deadly fighting that has sent tensions between Tehran and other Middle East powers soaring

Yemen's President Mansour Hadi has urged his Arab allies to keep up the bombing until the Houthi Shia rebels are defeated, branding them Iran's puppet

Overnight air strikes hit the headquarters of the rebel republican guard at Al-Subaha base in Sanaa, killing 15 soldiers, an official said