Spokesman for the Saudi-led Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen Brigadier General Ahmed Asseri said that the Saudi-led operation is stabilizing the country and defeating Al-Qaeda. “Today, I report 85 to 90 percent of the country [is] under control of the government,” said General Asseri during a conference call today with international reporters.
The King Salman Center for Relief and Humanitarian Aid (KSRELIEF) in cooperation with the World Food Program (WFP) distributed 774 tons of dates in Pakistan, Jordan and Mauritania.
King Salman Center has allocated 396 tons of dates for Pakistan, 306 tons for Syrian refugees in Zaatari and Azraq camps in Jordan, and 72 tons of dates to Mauritania.
The Cabinet today approved the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, an economic blueprint for future. Saudi Vision 2030 includes regulatory, budget and policy changes that will be implemented over the next 15 years.
The Saudi-led Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen announced a joint military operation against Al-Qaeda in Yemen. Participants include the Yemeni government forces and Saudi and Emirati special forces.
The coalition said that the first hours of the operation resulted in the killing a large number of Al-Qaeda militants, who were driven out of Al-Mukalla, the Al-Qaeda stronghold in the country’s south. Militants not killed in the offensive fled the Hadramout provincial capital they had held for a year. Among those killed were a number of al-Qaeda leaders.
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz chaired today the GCC-US Summit at Al-Diriyah Palace.
The summit was attended by King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa of Bahrain; Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Emir of Kuwait; Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, the Emir of Qatar; U.S. President Barack Obama; Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi; Sayed Fahd bin Mahmud Al-Saied, and Deputy Premier for the Cabinet Affairs of Oman.
Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, the Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, met in Riyadh last night with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. During the meeting, they discussed bilateral relations and regional developments.
The meeting was attended by Minister of State Dr. Musaed bin Mohammed Al-Aiban, Minister of Foreign Affairs Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir, President of the General Intelligence Khaled Al Humaidan, Saudi Ambassador to Iraq Thamer Al-Sabhan, and U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom Joseph Westphal.
Saudi Ambassador to the United States Abdullah Al-Saud detailed the extraordinary economic, social, and political modernization taking place in the Kingdom in an op-ed today in USA Today, titled “Saudi ambassador: Kingdom in transformation.” The ambassador provided a long list of accomplishments and plans in areas ranging from health to technology to social development and entrepreneurship.
Adviser to the Saudi Defense Minister and Official Spokesman for the Arab Joint Coalition Forces Brigadier General Ahmed Hassan Asseri discussed the significance of a Muslim military alliance to fight terrorism in an op-ed published today byNewsweek.
“For the first time in history, 39 Muslim nations have come together to establish a broad global military coalition with the sole aim of countering terrorism,” wrote General Asseri.
U.S. President Barack Obama arrived in Riyadh today on a visit to Saudi Arabia during which he will met with the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz later today and attend the U.S.-GCC Summit April 21.
President Obama was received at King Khalid International Airport by Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, Governor of Riyadh; Minister of Foreign Affairs Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir; and US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Joseph W. Westphal.
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz received at his palace in Riyadh today U.S. President Barack Obama.
During their talks, the two leaders reviewed bilateral relations and discussed the latest developments in the Middle East and the international efforts towards them, including combating terrorism.