Bahrain FM denies report it will commit ground forces to Syria

Bahrain's Foreign Minister Khalid Bin Ahmad al-Khalifa on Monday rejected recent reports that his country will dispatch ground troops to fight Daesh in Syria.

Al-Khalifa said the earlier statement, made by the ambassador to Britain, was misunderstood. He was speaking to Russia Today (RT), the first English-language TV to provide the Russian view of global news.

Earlier on Monday, REU, quoting Bahraini ambassador to Britain Sheikh Fawaz bin Mohammed al-Khalifa reported that Bahrain would commit troops to operate "in concert with the Saudis" under what he called the international coalition against terrorism.

In his statement, the Bahraini ambassador also said the Saudi initiative in Syria was meant to combat both Daesh and the brutal regime, a reference to President Bashar al-Assad, a bitter foe of Saudi Arabia. The United Arab Emirates is also ready to commit ground troops, the ambassador added.

The ambassador's remarks were followed by Saudi Arabia's similar pledge to send troops to fight Daesh in Syria.

Bahrain is a member of the US-led coalition against Daesh, but conducted only a small number of air strikes over the last year.