Former Pakistani army chief to head Saudi Arabia-led 39-nation military coalition

Islamabad: General Raheel Sharif, the former Pakistani army chief, will now head the Saudi Arabia-led 39-nation military coalition formed to serve as a platform for security cooperation and combat terrorism.

The decision to appoint Gen (retd) Raheel, who retired in November 2016, was taken after taking the incumbent government into confidence, defence minister Khawaja Asif said on Friday. Speaking during a talk show on Geo TV, Mr Asif admitted that an agreement in this regard was finalised a few days ago. He said both the governments and army were on board regarding the decision to let Raheel take charge of the alliance.