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- Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Jordan, Senegal, Sudan, Maldives, Morocco, Pakistan, Chad, Tunisia, Comoro Islands, Djibouti, Malaysia, Egypt, Mauritania, and Mauritius.
- 350,000 Military Troops, 2,450 Air Fighters, 20,000 Artillery Tanks, 460 Helicopters
Manama: Troops from Oman, Egypt and Kuwait and several other countries have arrived in Saudi Arabia to take part in the largest military exercise in the region, in terms of participating countries and equipment.
At
least 20 countries from Arab and Islamic countries are scheduled to participate
in the North Thunder war games in the northern region of the kingdom, Saudi
reports said on Monday.
The
participating countries are Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman,
Jordan, Senegal, Sudan, Maldives, Morocco, Pakistan, Chad, Tunisia, Comoro
Islands, Djibouti, Malaysia, Egypt, Mauritania, and Mauritius.
The equipment that
reflects the quantitative and qualitative weapons the forces will be using will
include fighter jets of different models, a wide range of artillery, tanks,
infantry, air defence systems, and naval forces.
The official Twitter account for
North Thunder said the exercises were being held at King Khalid Military City
in Hafr Al Batin from February 14 until March 10.
“A
military exercise will be commanded by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with the
participation of 20 countries and the Peninsula Shield force as well,” the
account said. “The main objective is to demonstrate the high combat readiness
of the participating armed forces and their readiness and ability to function
successfully in joint operations,” the account said.
More than 200,000 people
started following the account hours after it was launched to cover the military
exercises.
The
Peninsula Shield is the military arm of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the
alliance that comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United
Arab Emirates.
The
exercise will be a clear message that Saudi Arabia and its allies “stand united
in confronting all challenges and preserving peace and stability in the
region”, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
The
manoeuvres are taking place months after Saudi Arabia formed a coalition of 35
Arab and Muslim countries to fight terrorism and “push back and confront the
terrorists and those who promote their violent ideologies.”
Last
week, Saudi Arabia sent aircraft to Incirlik airbase in Turkey to assist in the
fight against terrorists from the terror Daesh group in Syria.
Source : GulfNews
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