Saudi to participate in Turkish military exercise

Saudi Arabia sent units from its ground and naval forces to the Turkish cities of Ankara and Izmir to take part in a month long military exercise.

The commander of the exercise, Colonel Ali Bin Mohammed Al-Shahri, said the drill, dubbed EFES 2016, is a multinational field exercise that will be held under Turkish leadership, and is considered one of the largest military exercises in the world in terms of the number of troops that will be involved.

According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), Al-Shahri said that the exercise, which involves a number of countries, aims to “reinforce international security and stability, the solidarity of participating states, the willingness to confront terrorist organisations, highlighting capabilities and raising efficiency.”

“The exercise is aimed at enhancing cooperation, augmenting military understanding, implementing the hybrid tasks in a multinational environment, in addition to implementing the scheme of strategic loading and transporting of troops from areas where they are stationed.”

Saudi Arabia and Turkey are members of the US-led international military coalition against Daesh.