March 11, 2016

‘North Thunder’ military drills end with impressive parade in Saudi Arabia

Friday 11 Mar 2016 - 20:12 Makkah mean time-2-6-1437

Hafar Al-Batin (IINA) - With an impressive military parade staged by armed forces from 20 Muslim countries on Friday, the region’s biggest-ever military drills dubbed “North Thunder” came to a close in the Northern Border Region of Saudi Arabia. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and several other heads of state and leaders from the Muslim countries were present to watch the impressive parade at the parade ground of King Khalid Military City in Hafar Al-Batin near the Kingdom’s northern border with Iraq and Kuwait, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The King and the other leaders attended on Thursday a spectacular ceremony, at the end of the two-week-long counter-terrorism military exercise in the city.  
King Salman and the guests watched the impressive parade that started with the march past of the troops carrying the national flags of the participating countries. The parade was a show of strength of the Arab and Muslim forces in confronting the enemies. Parachuters, fighter planes and Apache copters took part in the military aerobatics staged in front of the guests. Troops from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Pakistan took part in air shows that were carried out with high military precision and professionalism.
The heads of state and leaders from the Muslim countries, who were present to witness to the massive parade included King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain; King Abdullah of Jordan; Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, emir of Qatar; Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif; President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir of Sudan; President Macky Sall of Senegal; President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz of Mauritania; President Ismail Omar Guelleh of Djibouti; President Dr. Ikililou Dhoinine of Comoros; President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi of Yemen; Premier of the Moroccan government Abdulilah Benkirane; Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme commander of the armed forces of the United Arab Emirates; and Sheikh Khalid Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah, deputy prime minister and defense minister of Kuwait. Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Naif, deputy premier and minister of interior; Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, second deputy premier and minister of defense;  Chief of Staff Gen. Abdurahman Al-Bunyan; and other high ranking Saudi civilian and military officials were also present. Earlier, King Salman and other leaders performed Friday prayers at the Royal Hospitality Mosque at the city. Sheikh Abdulaziz Bin Ali Bin Al-Noah led the prayers.
On Thursday, King Salman and several other heads of state from across the Muslim world, watched the spectacular display of military might of Saudi Arabia and 19 Muslim countries held in the military city. The region’s biggest-ever military drills focused on how to coordinate combat operations and guerrilla warfare tactics among the Muslim-majority countries that are members of 34-nation counter-terrorism Islamic alliance announced by the Kingdom in December. Warplanes roared overhead, tanks rumbled across the desert and smoke filled the skies to mark the final events of the exercises, which Saudi Arabia has described as a show of regional unity. The two-hour mock battle featured fighter jets, attack helicopters and tanks. The guests watched military drills displayed jointly by the ground, air and defense forces from the participating countries, showcasing the potential and combat readiness of ground and air forces to confront the enemy, destroy hostile targets and repulse any aggression.
HA/IINA

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