Officials said Ankara's help so far is equipment, intelligence and defensive systems, not a broader deployment. Parliament has not yet ratified the August defence pact with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.
Turkey is sending mainly defensive and technical support to Saudi Arabia to help it fight Yemen's Houthis, two officials told Reuters on Wednesday. The support follows an August pact among Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia under which an attack on one member is treated as an attack on all. On Monday the three said they would move to implement that commitment and ensure rapid deployment of forces and capabilities in Saudi Arabia.
A Turkish official, speaking anonymously, said the expected support was military equipment, intelligence sharing and weapons systems, and that no other form of deployment had taken place under the alliance so far. A US official said the assistance so far was broadly defensive, including planning, logistics, drone operators, and help tuning defences, plus intelligence and surveillance.
Officials said Turkish support, including air defence, would largely be bilateral for now because Turkey's parliament has not ratified the pact. AK Party spokesman Omer Celik said on Wednesday the pact was expected to go to parliament in a few days. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said after a Riyadh meeting that the sides had discussed support for Saudi defensive capabilities.
Pakistani and regional officials have said Ankara and Islamabad have provided equipment that Saudi Arabia is using in Yemen. Reuters did not independently list the systems.
The next formal step cited is parliamentary ratification. No troop total was given.
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- Omer Celik said the Mecca pact was expected to be submitted to parliament in a few days.
- Hakan Fidan said the sides discussed support for Saudi defensive capabilities.