By Adem Salvarcioglu

ANKARA

Malaysia has decided to withdraw its troops from Saudi Arabia, the southeastern country’s defense minister said on Thursday.

According to local media, Mohamad Sabu said the plan to pull out soldiers had been “already discussed, already taken a decision”.

“We do not want to be involved in any conflict among neighboring nations in the Middle East,” Sabu said.

Last week, Sabu said the new government would “reconsider” former Prime Minister Najib Razak’s decision to send Malaysian troops to Saudi Arabia.

It remains unclear, however, exactly how many Malaysian troops are currently deployed there.