Turkey says will not send troops to fight Yemen's Houthis

ANKARA — Turkey's foreign minister has firmly stated that the country will not send troops to confront Yemen's Houthi forces, despite signing a defence pact with Saudi Arabia. The Iranian-backed fighters have been conducting a series of attacks on Saudi Arabia following a major offensive in Yemen against the internationally recognized, Saudi-backed government.

In August, Turkey signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, committing the three nations to come to each other's aid if one were to be attacked. Hakan Fidan, the Turkish foreign minister, clarified that this is a defensive agreement, not an offensive one. He emphasized that Turkey will not send its troops to another country's territory to launch an attack.

Fidan stated that Turkish and Saudi military delegations would collaborate to evaluate any potential defensive measures required, without providing specific details. The agreement, which is awaiting parliamentary approval in Turkey, involves NATO's second-largest army, the oil-rich Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan, the Muslim world's only nuclear-armed nation.