Pakistan confirms its troops are in Saudi Arabia under new defense pact
Pakistan's army says its troops are already serving in Saudi Arabia under a new defense pact. Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia agreed Monday to rush agreed forces to the kingdom. No troop numbers are public, and Turkey so far gives mostly technical help.
Pakistan says its soldiers are already on duty in Saudi Arabia under a new three-nation defense pact. "I can confirm that we, the forces of Pakistan, are already there," military spokesman Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry told CNN, Arab News reported. He said Pakistani troops serve there in "multiple capabilities and domains."
He also noted that Pakistani troops "have been there for decades" in Saudi Arabia. Pakistan has long provided training and advisers to the kingdom. Riyadh, in turn, has often helped Pakistan with money during hard times.
The comments follow a meeting in Riyadh on Monday, Oct. 5. Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey agreed to "move immediately" to put their shared defense promises into practice, according to a joint statement shared by Pakistan's foreign ministry. They will provide "agreed military forces and capabilities" and make sure of their "rapid deployment" in the kingdom, the statement said, under approved arrangements and each nation's laws.
The three countries signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement on Aug. 7. Under it, an armed attack on one member counts as an attack on all. The deal gave no details on what each country must provide.
The urgency comes from the war next door. In recent weeks, Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis have fired missiles and drones at southern Saudi cities and energy sites, Dawn reported. One strike hit a power station in Madina that supplies the Prophet's Mosque, one of Islam's holiest sites.
The deal is narrower than some headlines suggest, a Dawn analysis said. There is no public approval yet for Pakistani or Turkish forces to fight inside Yemen. Turkey is providing only defensive and technical support so far. Pakistan's defense minister, Khawaja Asif, said only Saudi forces are in combat against the Houthis right now, Dawn reported. The committee's statement did not name the Houthis.
No public details have been given on troop numbers, unit types or timing.
What we know: The three nations agreed to rapid deployment, and Pakistan says its forces are in the kingdom.
What we don't: How many troops are involved, and whether any will take part in combat.
Where outlets agree Dawn and Khaleej Times both report that the three countries agreed in Riyadh on Oct. 5 to rapidly deploy agreed forces and capabilities in Saudi Arabia.
Where they differ Pakistan's military says its forces are already in the kingdom, but Dawn reports no public approval yet for Pakistani or Turkish troops to fight in Yemen.