Daijiworld Media Network - Riyadh

Riyadh, Oct 6: Turkiye and Pakistan have agreed to rapidly deploy military forces and capabilities to Saudi Arabia following emergency talks in Riyadh, as fighting between Yemen's Saudi-backed government forces and the Houthis intensifies.

The agreement was reached on Monday during a meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement. The three countries agreed to immediately implement their collective defence commitments and take necessary measures to ensure the rapid deployment of agreed military forces and capabilities to Saudi Arabia.

The move comes amid escalating Houthi attacks on Saudi territory and a major counter-offensive by forces loyal to Yemen's internationally recognised government to recapture territory recently seized by the Houthis.

Saudi-backed Yemeni forces have launched operations along the Red Sea coast, including around the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The offensive has received Saudi air support as government forces seek to regain key positions from the Houthis.

The deployment follows the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement signed by Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan in August. The pact provides for collective defence cooperation among the three countries amid growing regional security threats.

The emergency Riyadh meeting was attended by senior foreign and defence officials from all three countries, including Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defence Minister Yasar Guler and Chief of General Staff General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu, as well as Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir.

The latest developments mark a shift towards putting the trilateral defence agreement into practical operation as the Yemen conflict spills over into wider regional security concerns.