Cairo: Arab military chiefs will meet this week in Cairo to discuss the forming of a joint military force to fight the growing extremist threat in the region, an Arab League official said on Sunday.
After Arab League leaders agreed to create such a force at a March summit in Egypt, army chiefs from member states are expected to get together on Wednesday to discuss details of how the force will be created, its role and its financing, a League source said.
President Abdul Fattah Al Sissi pushed for the creation of the force after Daesh executed a group of Egyptian Coptic Christians in Libya in February, prompting retaliatory air strikes from Egypt.
The plan gained further momentum after Saudi Arabia and several Arab allies launched air strikes on Iran-backed Al Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Daesh has emerged as the most brutal extremist group in the region, carrying out widespread atrocities and winning the support of several other militant organisations.
