Arab nations form powerful joint military force amid Yemen attacks

In response to a growing conflict in Yemen, the Arab leaders from different countries have agreed to form a joint military force. This decision is mostly aimed toward fighting jihadists and Islamist extremism that has invaded Iraq and Syria and is making moves toward Libya, according to Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - "Assuming the great responsibility imposed by the great challenges facing our Arab nation and threatening its capabilities, the Arab leaders had decided to agree on the principle of a joint Arab military force," Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi told the summit in the resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Arabi emphasized the importance of this decision during such a critical time in the Arab world. He explained to the meeting that their region is threatened by "destructive" forces against "ethnic and religious diversity," apparently referencing ISIS.

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This new offensive will continue until the Huthis surrender their weapons and withdraw from the regions they have overrun, according to Arabi in a statement at the end of the summit.

Although the decision to create an Arab military force has been made, the actual offensive may take longer to take action.

"I don't think we will get an integrated command anytime soon, as no Arab leader would cede control of any part of their army anytime soon," explained James Dorsey, a Middle East analyst with the Singapore-based S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, to Yahoo News. "Today we will have a formal declaration that would be negotiated every time during action."

The joint force proposal was welcomed by Jordan, who was eager to accept and take part along-side Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.

It is expected that each of the different countries will bring an important capability to the joint force.

"The Jordanians are well known for their special forces capability... the Egyptians of course have the most manpower and bases close to Libya," stated Aaron Reese, deputy research director at the Washington-based institute for the Study of War.

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