Bahrain MP calls for Peninsula Shield revival against Al Houthi

Manama: A Bahraini lawmaker has urged Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) leaders to revive the Peninsula Shield, the GCC defense force set up in 1986, to help "eliminate the Houthi rebels."

"There is a cancerous situation spreading in the region and we should work together to eliminate it before it reaches inexorable stages. There is no room for leniency or complacency and we must deter all those targeting the Gulf. Each of the GCC countries should contribute with its forces in tackling hot spots," MP Jassem Al Saeedi said.

"The armed rebellion against Yemen has not come from a vacuum, but had been prepared for a long time to create a front that would strike both north of Yemen and south of Saudi Arabia. This dangerous situation is likely to be duplicated in other GCC countries, including Bahrain. All Gulf countries should stand together to confront this danger because it is not confined to Saudi Arabia," Al Saeedi, an independent Salafi MP who has often waded into controversy with fellow peers, said.

Bahrain' parliament last week issued a communiqué expressing support to Saudi Arabia in its fight against rebel Houthis while the king and the government said that they sided with Riyadh in its drive to protect its people. The GCC countries have repeatedly expressed support to Saudi Arabia's efforts to defend its territories.

The Peninsula Shield was set up by the six GCC member countries to deter, and respond to, military aggression against any of its members.
The force, founded during the Iran-Iraq war, helped in the liberation of Kuwait in 1991 Gulf War and deployed there in 2003 during the US-led invasion of Iraq.

Once a standing force of 9,000 troops based in Saudi Arabia, the GCC countries in 2008 agreed in 2008 to transform the Peninsula Shield into a quick-reaction outfit that will draw upon 22,000 service members based in their home countries and that will feature airlift and naval power, two capabilities it initially lacked.