Pakistan and Egypt concluded a two-week-long military exercise focused on counter-terrorism, the military’s media wing said on Monday.

In a press release, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the “Pakistan-Egypt Joint Exercise Thunder-II” concluded in Cherat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — the military’s premier Special Operations School (SOS).

“[The] two-week-long exercise was designed to enhance interoperability by refining drills, procedures, and techniques related to counterterrorism operations through joint training,” ISPR said.

It added that “combat teams from the Special Services Group (SSG) of the Pakistan Army and the Egyptian Special Forces actively participated” in the exercise.

The military’s media wing further said that the participants exhibited “exceptional professionalism and operational skill throughout the exercise”.

General officer commanding SSG and Commander of Egyptian Paratroopers, Major General Mohamed Saad Abdel Razik, along with the defence attaché of Egypt, attended the closing ceremony.

“The exercise also served to further strengthen the longstanding and historic military-to-military relations between the two friendly nations,” ISPR added.

Pakistan and Egypt share long-standing bilateral relations. In October last year, Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir, in a meeting with Egyptian defence officials, reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to improved defence and military cooperation with Egypt.