Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has vowed to "wipe all terrorists off the face of the earth" during a keynote address in Riyadh on Sunday. 

"We will not allow them (terrorists) to distort our peaceful religion. Today we are sending a strong message that we are working together to fight terrorism," the crown prince said, according to The Independent. 

"Today we affirm that we will pursue terrorism until it is eradicated completely."

MBS's words were delivered during the first meeting of an Islamic alliance addressing extremism.

"In past years, terrorism has been functioning in all of our countries... with no coordination against it from governments," he added. 

"This ends today, with this alliance." 

Source: Wikipedia

MBS, who is the country's defense minister, created the 41-member Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition in 2015 to counter the growth of the so-called Islamic state. 

The first meeting - since the alliance was formed - comes following a suicide bombing and shooting targeting worshipers in a mosque in Egypt's Sinai region last week, which left more than 300 people dead. 

The "painful event was a reminder of the danger of terrorism and extremism," MBS said.

"Beyond the killing of innocent people and the spread of hatred, terrorism and extremism distort the image of our religion."

Officials from 40 Muslim countries took part in the meeting

Countries included in the coalition comprise:

Egypt, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Afghanistan, Uganda, Somalia, Mauritania, Libya, Yemen, Turkey, Comoros, Morocco, Tunisia, and many others.

Iran - Saudi Arabia's main geopolitical rival - along with Syria and Iraq are not included in the alliance.

Qatar is one of the members of the alliance, however, no Qatari officials were present in the meeting due to the Saudi-led blockade on the nation, which was started back in June.

"The pillar of this coalition is inclusion," said Saudi General Abdulelah al Saleh, the alliance's acting secretary general, according to The Independent. 

"Our common enemy is terrorism, not any religion, sect or race," he added.

MBS has been making major shifts in the kingdom

In October, MBS said that the kingdom will "return to a moderate Islam that is open to all religions," in a bid to destroy extremist ideologies.

The comments were made during the Future Investment Initiative (FII) summit in Riyadh, which saw MBS discuss the many cultural and economic transformations expected to take place in the coming years.

Under Prince Mohammed's leadership, the kingdom put forward the ambitious national transformation plan Vision 2030, which was introduced in April 2016, bringing changes to the kingdom's economic governance. 

In September, the kingdom announced that the initial plan was being "re-drafted" with an aim to "change existing initiatives and add new ones," according to a document reported by Financial Times.

In addition to economic changes, entertainment is a key sector Vision 2030 aims to develop. In September, Riyadh announced a new multi-billion dollar investment to promote fun within the kingdom.

In November, the head of Saudi Arabia's tourism authority promised that tourist visas will be available soon for those who wish to visit.