Bahrain is ready to commit ground troops to Syria as part of a US-led coalition against Islamic State, the Gulf island state said on Friday, a day after its larger neighbour Saudi Arabia announced a similar pledge.

Bahraini ambassador to Britain Sheikh Fawaz bin Mohammed al-Khalifa said in a statement that Bahrain would commit troops to operate “in concert with the Saudis” under what he called a unified military command of Gulf Arab States.