HIS Majesty King Hamad yesterday attended in Saudi Arabia the closing ceremony of Sword of Abdullah, the largest live ammunition joint drill of its kind in terms of military equipment and number of participants.
His Majesty was invited by Saudi Crown Prince, Deputy Premier and Defence Minister Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to witness the exercise held at Hafr Al Batin city.
The drill included various defence and attack operations, in addition to air and sea landing, as well as electronic warfare and air defence operations.At the drill's conclusion, His Majesty expressed delight at attending the event bearing the name of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
He recalled the Al Fateh Drill held in Bahrain in 1975 between the Bahraini and Saudi armed forces, highlighting that the co-operation between the two armies had a solid historic.The Al Fateh Drill, the first bilateral Gulf military exercise, reflected the strength of the longstanding Bahraini-Saudi military co-operation and enhanced joint action among GCC countries.
His Majesty voiced admiration of the drill, praising the Saudi military personnel's outstanding performance, readiness, bravery, high morale and professionalism in using all weapons and modern military technology.He affirmed the importance of such mobilisation and tactical drills in upgrading competence and military skills.He noted that the Saudi armed forces has developed the competence of its personnel and provided them with the latest and most developed military systems thanks to the directives of King Abdullah and support from Prince Salman.
He praised the Saudi leadership for supporting its armed forces in order to safeguard the country and play a crucial role in the region's stability.His Majesty was later seen off at King Saud Military Airbase by Eastern Province Governor Prince Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Ambassador of Bahrain to Saudi Arabia Shaikh Hamood bin Abdulla Al Khalifa.
Meanwhile, GCC Secretary-General Dr Abdullatif Al Zayani congratulated King Abdullah, Prince Salman, Deputy Crown Prince and Second Deputy Premier and Adviser and Special Envoy of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and the Saudi people on the success of the joint exercise.Dr Al Zayani expressed pride in the drill and noted that it showcased Saudi Arabia's outstanding development in the military field.
It showed the advances Saudi Arabia has achieved in areas of planning, management and training.It also reflects the nation's keenness on upgrading its army's combat competency, he added."Sword of Abdullah represents the success of the Saudi Armed Forces in developing its weaponry programmes," Dr Al Zayani said, expressing pride in the superior combat capabilities of the Saudi army.
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