In the presence of the Commander of the Royal Saudi Land Forces (RSLF) Lieutenant General Fahd bin Abdullah Al-Mutair, the Saudi Armed Forces concluded its participation in the (Arab Shield 1) military maneuvers which were hosted by the Arab Republic of Egypt, with participation of 6 Arab countries, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan.

The Saudi Armed Forces participated in conducting a number of main activities, including joint field operations to eliminate armed terrorist outposts on border villages, securing the international borderline and strategic communications, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

The three-week Arab Shield 1 drills came as part of a series of exercises being carried out by the Saudi Armed Forces in order to consolidate the bonds and relations among the Arab countries and raise the combat readiness and professionalism of the participating forces.

For his part, the Chief-of-Staff of the UAE Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Hamad Mohammed Thani Al Rumaithi, also attended the conclusion of the main phase of the drills, Emirates News Agency WAM reported.

The military exercises were witnessed by Lieutenant General Mohamed Farid, Chief-of-Staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces, and Lieutenant General Fahd bin Abdullah bin Muhammad al-Mutair, Commander of the Royal Saudi Land Forces, along with top brass from Arab armed forces.

The drills were in Egypt’s eastern desert around the Mohammed Naguib military base near the coastal Mediterranean city of Marsa Matrouh from 03 to 16 November. They involved target practice by rocket launchers, tanks and fighter-jets.

‘Arab Shield 1’ is considered as one of the biggest joint Arab manoeuvres in the region and involves land, naval and air Special Forces and aim to strengthen joint military cooperation between Egypt and other Arab countries in order to build combat capabilities and deliver common goals.