Interior ministers of the Persian Gulf Arab countries vowed on Friday to take a united stand against a string of deadly bombings targeting Shia mosques claimed by the Islamic State group.
Holding an emergency meeting in Kuwait, the scene of the latest suicide attack that killed 27 people on June 26, the ministers of the (Persian) Gulf Cooperation Council states stressed the attacks are a threat to the stability of the region, Middle East Eye reported.
“The ministers underscored the importance of coordination and cooperation in all measures and steps in confronting this serious epidemic ... which is a threat to the security and stability of the (P)GCC states,” said a statement issued after the meeting.
The statement called the attacks “criminal acts not linked with Islam and its values, which renounce violence and the killing of innocents,” but did not spell out any new measures to stop them.
“Terrorist attacks that targeted places of worship aim at sowing dissent, promoting divisions, undermining security and terrorizing and killing innocent people.”
Around 50 people were killed and hundreds wounded in suicide attacks on three Shia mosques in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait during the past two months, all claimed by IS. The extremist group has repeatedly targeted Shias in attacks across the Middle East.
Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and the UAE are members of the council.
The officials also expressed sympathy with Kuwait, which suffered the worst attack in its history last week with a suicide bombing that left 27 people dead and 227 others wounded.
IS’s Saudi affiliate, the so-called Najd Province, claimed the two bombings in Saudi Arabia and the attack in Kuwait. The group has threatened to carry out more attacks in the two countries and also threatened Bahrain.
