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Is Saudi Anti-Terror Coalition Created to Challenge Russia, Iran in Syria?

© AP Photo / Mosa'ab ElshamySaudi security forces take part in a military parade in preparation for the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015
Saudi security forces take part in a military parade in preparation for the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015 - Sputnik International
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The Saudi-led ‘Islamic Antiterrorist Coalition’ was formed in response to the Russian and Iranian operation against Daesh terrorists in Syria, and Algiers has no plans to join in, an Algerian political analyst said on Saturday.

“The many countries joining the Saudi-led coalition, which supported the terrorists in Algeria during the 1970s, never helped us fight the terrorists on our soil… The new coalition has a pronounced Sunni-tilt and came in response to Russia’s and Iran’s role in Syria,” Zine al-Abidine Bouazza told Sputnik.

“They do not differentiate between terrorist groups and popular resistance movements and the coalition essentially is not aimed against Daesh,” he added.

Zine al-Abidine Bouazza also said that Algeria had refused to join  the “Islamic Coalition” primarily because its goals are at variance with the country’s constitution, which  bars the use of the Algerian military and  security forces in overseas operations.

A mosque at the Marj al-Sultan military airbase, captured by the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), in south-eastern Damascus - Sputnik International
Saudi's New Coalition: 'A Sly Ploy to Gain Diplomatic Leverage’
Saudi Arabia has formed a coalition of 34 mainly Muslim countries — including powers such as Egypt and Turkey — to coordinate a fight against "terrorist organizations". 

In an earlier press statement issued by the Saudi Press Agency, officials said the group would be led by Saudi Arabia, which would host a "joint  operations center to coordinate" efforts.

Besides the 34 Muslim nations, Riyadh said more than 10 other countries expressed their support for the new bloc.

Absent from the list was predominantly Shiite Iran—the kingdom’s main rival for leadership in the Muslim world — as well as Israel and Shiite-led Iraq.

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