Turkey and Pakistan send troops to Saudi

Turkey and Pakistan send troops to Saudi Arabia October 6, 2026Turkey and Pakistan want to quickly transfer additional troops and military capabilities to Saudi Arabia. The three states agreed on this during an emergency meeting in Riyadh. The reason was the recent attacks by the Iran-supported Yemeni Houthi militia on the Kingdom. The three countries decided to begin the practical implementation of their joint defense pact immediately. The agreed forces and military resources were to be "quickly stationed in the Kingdom," was stated in a joint declaration. It remained open how many soldiers and what equipment would be transferred. The states also provided no details about their specific tasks. Pakistani units are already in Saudi Arabia as part of the long-standing military partnership with Riyadh. Pakistan and Turkey in a supportive role initially The Pakistani Minister of Defense Khawaja Asif told the news agency Geo News that Pakistani and Turkish forces are already "present in the area of operations." However, currently only Saudi troops are involved in the fighting. Pakistan and Turkey are taking a "supportive role." Pakistan is reportedly participating in reconnaissance measures, said Asif according to the newspaper "Dawn." Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey concluded their so-called Mecca Defense Pact in August. It contains a subsidiary clause similar to that of the NATO treaty: an armed attack on one of the three states is considered an attack on all. No specific military obligations arising from this were established when the pact was concluded. The trigger for the emergency meeting included attacks on the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. In the past week, the Houthis had attacked a power distribution station in Medina, according to Saudi Arabia. It supplies the Prophet's Mosque, one of the holiest sites in Islam, with electricity. Explosions shake Riyadh On Monday, the Saudi capital was also targeted again. Loud explosions were heard in Riyadh in the evening. Detonations had already occurred earlier. "I saw my windows tremble," reported a resident of the AFP news agency. The Houthis claimed to have attacked the international airport of Riyadh with drones, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles. According to Houthi spokesman Yahya Sari, refineries of the state oil company Aramco in Rabigh as well as military installations and airports in the south of Saudi Arabia were also targets. Saudi Arabia had also recently been under pressure from attacks on its important East-West pipeline. Government troops launch large offensive in Yemen In parallel, fighting in Yemen intensified. Government troops declared that they had launched a massive wave of attacks against the Houthis. More than 1100 attacks on militia positions were carried out. The capital Sanaa, also controlled by the Houthis, was also targeted. The military coalition led by Saudi Arabia reportedly participated in the offensive. During attacks on Monday morning, 100 fighter jets were deployed to support the ground troops. On the coast of the Red Sea, the coalition also attacked Houthi positions in Hodeida, according to their own statement. Naval forces "destroyed weapons depots as well as facilities for storing boats equipped with booby traps and mines," explained coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki. A planned attack on shipping routes in the southern Red Sea was thwarted. The Houthis have recently occupied areas The presidential council supported by Saudi Arabia in Yemen announced on Sunday that they want to recapture all areas controlled by the Houthis. State authority should be extended to the "entire country," explained Council Chairman Raschad al-Alimi. Shortly before this, the Houthis had taken control of an important road between the besieged city of Taiz and the interim capital Aden. The militia has controlled large parts of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, for many years. In September, they also brought large parts of the western Yemeni coast under their control. pgr/wa (dpa, afp, rtr)