RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has said troops from 20 countries are gathering in the oil-rich nation for large-scale military exercises. The kingdom announced the exercises on Sunday with the official Saudi Press Agency describing them as “the largest and most important” military manoeuvres in the region’s history.
It said the exercises in the country’s north will include air, sea and land forces. They are expected to last 18 days.
Most of the participants are Arab and African countries, and do not include the United States and other Westen powers.
S. Arabia leads a coalition fighting Shia rebels in Yemen. It is also part of the US-led coalition against the militant Islamic State (IS) group, and recently said it was willing to send ground troops to Syria.
Published in Dawn, February 15th, 2016
