Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan have agreed to speed up the deployment of agreed military forces and capabilities in the kingdom under a joint defense pact. The Associated Press reported the decision came as fighting continues in Yemen.
According to a joint statement issued after a meeting in Riyadh on Oct. 5, the three countries will begin putting their collective-defense commitments under the Mecca pact into practice. Reuters reported that the agreement calls for the rapid deployment of agreed forces and capabilities in Saudi Arabia.
The decision comes amid an escalation of the conflict in Yemen. The Associated Press reported that Saudi-backed Yemeni forces are advancing against the Houthis near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The agency also confirmed that Turkish and Pakistani foreign and defense ministers had agreed with Saudi Arabia to deploy military forces to the kingdom.
The statements did not specify which units would be sent, when they would arrive or whether they would operate outside Saudi Arabia. Ivan Bocharov, an analyst quoted by Lenta.ru, said the most likely tasks would be to reinforce air and missile defenses and intercept missiles and drones.
Bocharov also said a naval mission to secure the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait was possible, but stressed that Turkish and Pakistani participation in ground operations in Yemen had not been decided. Such involvement, he said, would carry significant political and military costs.
The AP has previously reported that the countries describe the pact as a mutual-defense agreement. The latest deployment arrangement does not, by itself, confirm that the forces will be sent to take part in operations inside Yemen.