President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed Nigeria’s support for Saudi Arabia in its conflict with Houthi rebels in Yemen and strongly condemned the rebels’ missile attack on the holy city of Makkah.
He did this in a phone conversation with Saudi Arabian King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on Sunday.
Rebels launched a missile on Thursday targeting the holy city, but Arab Coalition forces intercepted it 65 kilometers away from the city, according to Al Arabiya, the Saudi-run media platform. Mr. Buhari described the attack as “heinous” but thanked Allah that the missile did not reach its target.
The Nigerian president, according to Sahara Reporters! emphasized the importance of international cooperation in fighting violent extremism across the world.
His condemnation of attacks against Saudi Arabia marked the second time in four months he had done so, Channels TV reported.
In July, Mr. Buhari condemned a suicide bombing in another Saudi Arabian holy city, Madinah.
The conflict in Yemen between Saudi-backed forces loyal to President Abdrabbah Mansour Hadi and the Houthi rebels has left at least 6800 people dead since March 2015, according to the BBC.
The majority of the deceased were killed by air strikes carried out by the Saudi-led multinational coalition against the Houthi rebels.
