Yemen crisis: Middle East leaders agree to create first joint Arab military force
Egypt-led talks held to combat Iranian-backed militia that has driven out the government of Yemen, as Saudi-led air strikes continued for a fourth day
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.World leaders meeting in Egypt have agreed to the creation of a joint Arab military force to face the modern "challenges" of the Middle East.
Egypt's president, Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi, said the 22 member states of the Arab League would combine forces under the supervision of their various chiefs of staff.
The proposed joint army would have roughly 40,000 troops picked from the elite of nations including Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan, Qatar and Egypt itself, and would be supported by tanks, jets and warships.
The move comes as the crisis in Yemen continued to escalate, with Saudi-led air strikes against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels entered a fourth day.
The advance of Isis and the civil war in Syria, now entering its fifth year, are among the complex dangers facing the region, where previous schemes of a similar nature have failed to produce results.
Documents from the weekend's Arab League called for "coordination, efforts and steps to establish a unified Arab force" to intervene in situations like Yemen.
But it is unlikely to have an immediate military impact on what is increasingly becoming a war by proxy between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Working out the mechanism and logistics of the unified force, an idea first floated by former general Sisi, could take months.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments