Bahrain: Gulf states launch joint military command to counter Isis and Iran
Bahrain’s foreign minister says Gulf states are launching a joint military command based in Saudi Arabia to counter threats from militant jihadis and Shia Iran.
Sheikh Khalid al-Khalifa said the joint command force, which analysts say will eventually have several hundred thousand soldiers under its control, would begin military operations after a Gulf Co-operation Council summit due to take place later this month in Qatar.
The new command is to focus on defensive operations and will co-ordinate with the GCC’s naval command based in Bahrain and its air command in Saudi Arabia.
The establishment of the new joint command comes amid alarm in the Gulf states over the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis), which has not only taken over parts of Iraq and Syria but has supporters among Gulf populations.