The six-member Gulf Cooperation Council, which is concerned about Shiite Iran's regional influence and the rise of Sunni extremist groups throughout the region, agreed on Tuesday to create a regional police force based out of the United Arab Emirates' capital of Abu Dhabi and a joint naval force based out of Bahrain.
The creation of the police force, known as GCC-POL, and the naval force were announced at the conclusion of the Gulf bloc's annual summit in Qatar.
Qatari Foreign Minster Khalid bin Mohammed Al-Attiyah said the police force would improve cooperation against terrorism. "It will be an Interpol-like force but inside GCC countries," he said at a news conference.
State-linked local newspapers say the police force is also expected to tackle drug trafficking, money laundering and cyber-crime.