General Ashfaq Kayani, Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army, and a number of Senior Officers of the Land Force and the Army of Pakistan also attended the event.
General Kayani said that it was a great honor to have this exercise with the Saudi brothers, describing the event as yet another sign of close Saudi-Pakistani relations.
General Kayani also praised the Saudi Forces for their bravery and valor.
For his part, Prince Khaled Bin Bandar conveyed the greetings of Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, and Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior, as well as Prince Khaled Bin Sultan, to the participants in the joint event.
Prince Khaled said the joint exercise is yet further evidence of the firm and deep-rooted cooperation between the two Armies.
Speaking to the press following the exercise, Prince Khaled said this extraordinary exercise will help Saudi Officers and Soldiers develop skills in their fight against terrorism and in fighting in rugged terrain.
He said the Kingdom will leave no stone unturned in combating the menace of terrorism.
The Pakistani Army and Saudi Land Forces Joint Exercises “Al-Samsaam” series are being conducted on biennial basis since 2004.
The first two exercises of the series Al-Samsaam I & II were conducted in Pakistan in 2004 and 2006, respectively. Al-Samsaam III, however, was conducted in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2009.
General Khaled bin Bandar bin Abdul Aziz announced that next joint drills would be conducted on Saudi soil.
Source: Saudi Gazette; SAMAA
