ABU DHABI // Troops from the UAE Armed Forces have arrived in Saudi Arabia to take part in the Ra’ad Al Shamal – Northern Thunder – military exercise.
Saudi Arabia has joined forces with 20 other Arab, Islamic and allied nations to launch what it says is the biggest joint military exercise yet staged in the region.
The Peninsula Shield Force, the Gulf Cooperation Council’s military body, is also involved in the exercise, which is taking place at King Khalid Military City, near Hafar Al Batin city in northern Saudi Arabia.
As well as the GCC countries, Jordan, Egypt, Senegal, Sudan, the Maldives, Morocco, Pakistan, Chad, Tunisia, Comoros Islands, Djibouti, Malaysia, Mauritania and Mauritius are also involved.
Northern Thunder is the largest of its kind in terms of the diverse military equipment in use, “which reflects the qualitative and quantitative spectrum of ground, air and naval forces of the participating countries”, according to state news agency Wam.
The three-week exercise aims to consolidate military cooperation between the participating countries.
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