Sayyaf in Saudi Arabia for talks with officials

Monitoring Desk

RIYADH: Former Jihadi leader and head of the Council of Protection and Stability of Afghanistan Abdul Rab Rasoul Sayyaf is in Saudi Arabia where he is scheduled to hold talks with officials. According to a source, Sayyaf left Kabul on Friday and will spend a few days in the kingdom.

Sources said the purpose of his trip is to talk with Saudi officials about the phenomenon of extremism and terrorism in the Muslim world. One source said it is expected that Sayyaf will also discuss the role of Islamic countries in resolving the current crises in some Islamic countries. This comes after Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman in November vowed to “wipe terrorists from the face of the earth”.

At the time he had been addressing officials from 40 Muslim countries who had gathered at the first meeting of an Islamic counter-terrorism alliance.

Bin Salman, who is also the Saudi defense minister, told officials in Riyadh that “in past years, terrorism has been functioning in all of our countries… with no coordination” among national authorities.

“This ends today, with this alliance,” he added. The summit was the first meeting of defense ministers and other senior officials from the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition, which officially incorporates 41 countries and identifies itself as a “pan-Islamic unified front” against violent extremism. The alliance was announced in 2015 under the auspices of Bin Salman, whose rapid ascent since his appointment as heir to the throne in June has shaken the political scene across the region.