A joint Omani-Italian military drill codenamed “Jebal Shams 3” kicked off Monday in the Republic of Italy.

The exercise, which runs till 21 September 2023, is participated by the Royal Army of Oman (RAO).

A briefing was presented on the preparatory stages of the exercise and its training programmes and practical applications in a bid to achieve the envisaged training objectives.

The exercise comes within the context of annual training programmes conducted by the Royal Army of Oman (RAO), in cooperation with friendly countries to exchange experiences and maintain preparedness, Oman News Agency (ONA) reported.

In another development, Major General Mattar Salim Al Balushi, Commander of the Royal Army of Oman (RAO) received in his office at Al Murtafa’a Garrison Monday Major General Abdulaziz Ahmed Al Balawi, Commander of the Peninsula Shield Joint Force and his accompanying delegation.

During the meeting, the two sides exchanged views and discussed several topics of common concern. The meeting was attended by senior RAO officers.

For his part, Vice Admiral Abdullah Khamis Al Raisi, Chief of Staff of the Sultan’s Armed Forces (SAF) also received the visiting Commander of the Peninsula Shield Joint Force and his accompanying delegation.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed several military matters.

The meeting was attended by Brigadier Hamid Avdullah Al Balushi, Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations and Planning, Brigadier Said Zaid Al Habsi, Director General of Administration and Human Resources in the Royal Army of Oman and several officers from the SAF Command.