Saudi Arabia, NATO discuss anti-Daesh effort

Saudi deputy crown prince and minister of defense, Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, met with NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels over the weekend to discuss organized efforts to counter Daesh militants in Syria and elsewhere.

The talks came on the sidelines of the meeting of international coalition countries to fight the militant group.

The two discussed means of cooperation NATO’s cooperation with an anti-terrorism coalition composed mainly of Muslim nations to fight Daesh on the ground in Syria.

Saudi Arabia said in December that it has formed the 34-state Islamic military coalition to counter the group, which has gained ground in parts of Syria and Iraq. The kingdom since then has not elaborated on the formation of the coalition, or deployed any ground forces in Syria.

Prince Mohammed led Saudi Arabia’s delegation in the meetings, which took place at NATO’s headquarters in Brussels.