Banned Islamist factions have always been sort of a double-edged sword for Pakistan, which has to cope with constant wars against them in peacetime, but seems to usually find common ground with them during war.
That seems to be the case once again, as some jihadist groups have announced they’re joining the Saudi war against Yemen, taking the same path Pakistan’s government is.
While it’s weird to think of Taliban allies like Jamaat ud-Dawa fighting alongside Pakistani troops, these groups are often targeting Pakistan’s own Shi’ite minority, and are only too eager to join an international war led by Sunni power Saudi Arabia against Shi’ites in Yemen.
The influx of Sunni Islamists from the Indian subcontinent is likely to make the war even more overtly sectarian in nature, which will likely provoke a backlash from Yemen’s significant Shi’ite minority, above and beyond the ones already supporting the Houthis.
Saudi authorities say they have gathered troops along the border with Yemen in preparation for any possible ground offensive, Reuters reported on Tuesday, adding that no exact time to send the troops in has yet been stipulated. Pakistan, which has previously supported Riyadh by deploying troops to Saudi Arabia to provide extra regional security, also said that it is sending troops to support Saudi Arabia in the context of the current Yemeni conflict, the agency reported.
Re: Pakistani Jihadists Pledge to Join Govt in Yemen War
I have been reading this for weeks now. But there has been actually no evidence to support this. The government and the military have flown to discuss the matter.
We have 292 non-combat troops there. We don’t have any supply or transport planes that can move combat troops at the company level (that low) in such a short time frame. For every 1 combat troop on the ground you need 3 non-combat troops to provide support.
We don’t have the QRF to implement such quick set ups in Saudi Arabia. So I am extremely confused on how media outlets are reporting that we have troops ready to go.
To give an example. It took the US 5 months to have its army deployed to Afghanistan with three entry locations and the fact that they have the money and technology to do so. Yet the first real combat troops (no special forces or air strikes) did not land until 5 months later.