More than 40 Islamic countries just met and vowed to wipe terrorism off the map

Saudi Arabia’s powerful crown prince Mohammed bin Salman has vowed terrorists will be pursued until they are “wiped off the face of the earth” in the first meeting of a new Arab alliance designed to defeat extremism.

“We will not allow them (terrorists) to distort our peaceful religion. Today we are sending a strong message that we are working together to fight terrorism,” Prince bin Salman told assembled defence ministers in a keynote address in Riyadh on Sunday.

“In past years, terrorism has been functioning in all of our countries... with no coordination” against it from governments, he added. “This ends today, with this alliance.”

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The crown prince, who is also defence minister, created the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition in 2015 in response to the growing threat of Isis and criticism that Islamic countries were not doing enough to counter religious extremism.

The first meeting this week comes as Isis faces the collapse of its so-called caliphate in Iraq and Syria – but in the wake of a suicide bombing and gunmen assault on a mosque in Egypt’s Sinai province last week which killed more than 300 people.

The “painful event” was a reminder of the “danger of terrorism and extremism”, Prince bin Salman said.

“Beyond the killing of innocent people and the spread of hatred, terrorism and extremism distort the image of our religion,” he added.

14 show all The situation in Yemen

1/14 Houthi supporters trample on a US flag during a gathering mobilizing more fighters into several Yemeni battlefronts, in Sana'a, Yemen EPA

2/14 People carry the coffins of men, who were killed in the recent Saudi-led airstrikes during their funeral, in the Old City of Sanaa, Yemen AP

3/14 Pro-government fighters give food to Yemeni children on the road leading to the southwestern port city of Mokha. Yemeni rebels are putting up fierce resistance in a key Red Sea port city where they are encircled by pro-government force Getty Images

4/14 A Yemeni stands in front of a graffiti protesting US military operations in war-affected Yemen, in Sana'a, Yemen. According to reports, US Special Forces troops allegedly disembarked from US helicopters in the Yemeni town of Yakla and attacked several houses belonging to members of the terrorist group Al-Qaeda, killing three high-ranking Al-Qaeda members and nine civilians, six women and three children. One American serviceman has been killed and three injured in the attack EPA

5/14 US Special Forces troops allegedly disembarked from US helicopters in the Yemeni town of Yakla and attacked several houses belonging to members of the terrorist group Al-Qaeda, killing three high-ranking Al-Qaeda members and nine civilians, six women and three children. One American serviceman has been killed and three injured in the attack EPA

6/14 A Yemeni female fighter supporting the Shiite Huthi rebels, and carrying weapons used for ceremonial purposes, takes part in an anti-Saudi rally in the capital Sanaa Getty Images

7/14 Yemeni female fighters supporting the Shiite Huthi rebels, and carrying weapons used for ceremonial purposes, take part in an anti-Saudi rally in the capital Sanaa Getty Images

8/14 A boy shouts slogans next to pro-Houthi fighters, who have been injured during recent fighting, during a rally held to honour those injured or maimed while fighting in Houthi ranks in Sanaa, Yemen Reuters

9/14 Balls of fire and smoke rise from a Houthi-held military camp following alleged Saudi-led airstrikes, in Sana'a, Yemen EPA

10/14 Yemenis search under the rubble of damaged houses following reported Saudi-led coalition air strikes on the outskirts of the Yemeni capital Sanaa Getty Images

11/14 A Yemeni boy looks on as Yemenis search under the rubble of damaged houses following reported Saudi-led coalition air strikes on the outskirts of the Yemeni capital Sanaa Getty

12/14 A Yemeni boy sits amidst the rubble of damaged houses following reported Saudi-led coalition air strikes on the outskirts of the Yemeni capital Sanaa AFP/Getty

13/14 Marine One with US President Donald Trump flies with a decoy and support helicopters to Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware, for the dignified transfer of Navy Seal Chief Petty Officer William 'Ryan' Owens who was killed in Yemen Getty Images

14/14 US President Donald Trump aboard the Marine One to greet the remains of a US military commando killed during a raid on the al Qaeda militant group in southern Yemen on Sunday, at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, US Reuters

Countries involved in the coalition include Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Afghanistan, Uganda, Somalia, Mauritania, Lebanon, Libya, Yemen and Turkey.

Iran – Saudi Arabia’s regional arch-rival – is not included in the group. Syria and Iraq, whose governments have close connections to Tehran, are also not part of the alliance.

While the alliance officially includes Qatar, the target of a six-month boycott led by Saudi Arabia, organisers in Riyadh said no Qatari officials were present.

“The pillar of this coalition is inclusion,” said Saudi General Abdulelah al Saleh, the alliance's acting secretary general, playing down the perceived tensions.

“Our common enemy is terrorism, not any religion, sect or race.”

The meeting coincides with a low in relations between Riyadh and Tehran over their roles in the wars in Syria and Yemen – and the resignation of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al Hariri from Riyadh this month, which many observers believe was orchestrated by the Saudi authorities to destabilise Lebanon’s coalition government.

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Mr Hariri said he had resigned in protest at the growing power of Iran-allied political and militant organisation Hezbollah. He postponed the move on his arrival back in Beirut last week.

Since his sudden appointment as heir to the throne in June, Prince bin Salman has shaken up the political scene both in Saudi Arabia and the wider region.

In what is widely seen as a move designed to consolidate his power, more than 200 members of the Saudi elite, among them princes and business tycoons, were arrested in a crackdown on corruption.