AMIR THANKS SAUDI KING FOR HOSTING EXERCISE – Thunder in Saudi desert as drill ends

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KUWAIT CITY, March 10, (Agencies): His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al- Jaber Al-Sabah, accompanied by a delegation of senior offi cials, attended on Thursday closing ceremony of “Ra’ad Al-Shamal” (North Thunder) in Hafr Al-Baten, northern Saudi Arabia. His Highness the Amir, along with the accompanying officials, arrived in the Kingdom earlier Thursday for attending the closing ceremony of the military exercises, held at King Khaled Military City, in Hafr Al-Baten, northern Saudi Arabia. His Highness the Amir was welcomed upon arrival by Prince Mohammad Bin Naif Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, the Crown Prince, the Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister, and Prince Mohammad Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, the Deputy Crown Prince and the Second Deputy Premier and Defense Minister.

His Highness the Amir was accompanied by First Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al- Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Mohammad Al-Khaled Al- Hamad Al-Sabah, Deputy Premier and Defense Minister Sheikh Khaled Al- Jarrah Al-Sabah, and Chief of Amiri Protocol Sheikh Khaled Al-Abdullah Al-Nasser Al-Sabah. His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah sent a cable of appreciation, on Thursday, to Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al- Saud for inviting him to attend the concluding ceremony of “North Thunder” military exercise.

The military exercise is seeing a Kuwaiti participation, alongside many Arab and Islamic countries. In his cable, His Highness the Amir also thanked the Saudi King for holding meetings that discussed the deeprooted bilateral ties as well as providing an opportunity to meet his fellow Arab and Islamic leaders. His Highness the Amir lauded the high level of organizing this major military event that aims at raising the forces’ combat and technical skills, which would enable them to face any challenges in the region.

Warplanes roared overhead, tanks rumbled across the desert and smoke filled the sky Thursday for the final day of what Saudi Arabia billed as the region’s biggest-ever military exercises. The 12-day “North Thunder” manoeuvres in the kingdom’s northeast included 20 nations from the Middle East, Africa and Asia, Saudi officials said. Saudi Arabia’s King Salman was joined by several foreign leaders for the  final day of the exercise, which came as Riyadh vies to assert its leadership in the region. Among them were Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Sudan’s Omar al-Bashir, Yemen’s Abad Rabbo Mansour Hadi and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

As the dignitaries watched from a pavilion, Apache gunships fired rockets with a bone-shaking blast. Smoke rose from targets on the ground and commandos rappelled from helicopters. Fighter jets streaked through the sky releasing orange flares, artillery shells whistled through the air and heavy machinegun fire boomed from across the drill site, which stretched for dozens of kilometres (miles). The exercises took place near Hafr al- Batin city, close to the Kuwaiti and Iraq borders. Saudi Arabia’s chief of staff, General Abdulrahman al-Bunyan, commanded the exercise and called it “the largest Arab and Islamic military gathering” in the region. Riyadh has adopted a more assertive foreign policy since Salman took the throne early last year following the death of his half-brother king Abdullah.

It leads a coalition fighting rebels in Yemen, participates in US-led air strikes against the Islamic State group and has offered to send special forces to fight IS in Syria. “North Thunder” also took place after tensions escalated between Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia and its regional Shiite rival Iran, which back opposing sides in Syria and Yemen. Riyadh cut diplomatic ties with Tehran earlier this year after mobs ransacked Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran following the execution of a prominent Saudi Shiite cleric. Saudi Brigadier General Ahmed al-Assiri told reporters this week the exercises were preparation to tackle the region’s “terrorist menace” and were not directed against Iran. Assiri said the manoeuvres are distinct from a 35-nation coalition to fight “terrorism” which Saudi Arabia announced in December. Officials have said the new coalition would gather in the kingdom this month for its first publicly announced meeting. Authorities released no figures for the number of troops taking part from each country in Northern Thunder.

An AFP reporter saw Pakistani, Egyptian, Kuwaiti and Sudanese troops alongside Saudis. A foreign military source told AFP he did not think Northern Thunder was directed at Syria “or anything else” but was a chance to practise working together. The source said Saudi troops were “honing their skills and their operability with other nations.” Northern Thunder’s official Twitter account said the exercises aimed to “confront all the threat scenarios in the region”. According to the International Institute of Strategic Studies, Saudi Arabia has the best equipped military of Gulf countries, with an army of 75,000 troops and 313 combat-capable aircraft.

The “North Thunder” exercise is considered the biggest Arab and Islamic military maneuvers that have been seen in the region, Chief of General Staff and Commander of the Exercise General Abdulrahman bin Saleh Al-Bunyan said Thursday.

In a statement carried by Saudi Press Agency (SPA) after the Exercise conclusion, Al-Bunyan pointed out that meetings on planning were held prior the exercise and it took military forces three days to arrive at the drill location at King Khalid Military City in Hafar Al-Batin City, in order to participate in a 15-day training. The “North Thunder” is one of “the largest Arab and Islamic military gathering being witnessed in the region has been achieved, as participants in this exercise included joint military forces from 20 Arab and Islamic states in response to the invitation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to participate in this exercise,” he said.

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