Deployment of army troops in Saudi Arabia to be reviewed: Mat Sabu

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia will be reviewing its current deployment of its Armed Forces personnel in Saudi Arabia and is expected to make a decision on it in the nearest time, said Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu (pix).
In a statement, today, Mohamad Sabu said the government is reviewing the previous government's decision to place Armed Forces (ATM) troops in Saudi Arabia for the purpose of preparing for the evacuation of Malaysians in Yemen.
"Malaysia has never been involved in an attack on Yemen, which is also an Islamic state.
"Nevertheless, the presence of the ATM in Saudi Arabia indirectly causes Malaysia to be trapped in conflict in the Middle East," he said.
He said Malaysia is a country that practices neutrality and does not favour any political ideology of world powers.
"In fact, Malaysia is actively involved in the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and has once presided over it."
Malaysia has been named by the Saudi media as one of the 34 countries fighting terrorism in the region.
However, Mohamad Sabu's predecessor Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein had denied such role, insisting that the deployment of army officers to the Middle East since 2015 was to rescue Malaysian civilians trapped in Yemen.