Meeting of anti-ISIS international coalition opens in Saudi Arabia

ISTANBUL

A meeting of political directors of the US-led international coalition against ISIS (Daesh) terror group began Monday in the Saudi capital Riyadh.

Chaired by Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Al-Khuraiji, the one-day meeting is attended by representatives of the coalition’s 90 member states, the Saudi television Al-Ekhbariya reported.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani and US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack are also present at the meeting.

Discussions are expected to focus primarily on "the security situation related to ISIS activity in Syria and Iraq, assessing the remaining threats posed by the terror group, ways to prevent its resurgence through sleeper cells, and strengthening security and military coordination,” the outlet said.

A final statement is expected to be issued at the end of the meeting.

On Sunday evening, Shaibani and intelligence chief Hussein al-Salama arrived in Riyadh to participate in the meeting.

Syria formally joined the anti-ISIS coalition last November. The coalition was formed in 2014 and has carried out military operations against the terrorist group in Syria and Iraq, though Damascus was not previously a member.

The new Syrian administration has been working to tighten security conditions nationwide since the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in late 2024.

*Writing by Serdar Dincel