Egypt says Arab leaders agree to joint force

29 March 2015, 2:04 pm

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Egypt’s president says Arab leaders meeting at a summit have agreed in principle to create a joint Arab military force in the face of the “challenges” facing the region.

Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi makes the comment during the closing session of a two-day Arab summit in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Sissi says a high-level panel will work under the supervision of Arab chiefs of staff to work out the structure and mechanism of the force.

In this file image released by the Egyptian Presidency in the early hours of Monday, Feb. 16, 2015, President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi makes a statement after militants in Libya affiliated with the Islamic State group released a grisly video showing the beheading of several Egyptian Coptic Christians. (AP Photo/Egyptian Presidency, File)

Already, a Saudi-led coalition is staging airstrikes against positions of Shiite rebels in Yemen and their allies. However, it is unlikely that all 22-member nations of the Arab League will join the proposed force.

Egyptian officials say the proposed force would be made up of roughly 40,000 elite troops and backed by jets, warships and light armor.

— AP