Gulf Shield military drill in Saudi Arabia concludes today

DUBAI: The first month-long joint Gulf Shield military drill will conclude today (April 16) in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.

Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud will patronise the final ceremony while Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi of Pakistan and Pakistan's Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa will also witness the closing ceremony.

The first edition of the massive military drill - Gulf Shield-1 - is organised by the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Defence with participants from the land, air and naval forces of 24 countries including Pakistan, United States and United Kingdom.

The event will also be attended by a number of leaders from participating countries who will oversee military parades from various divisions. Defence analysts believe that the military exercise is considered one of the largest in the region, both in terms of the number of participating countries and the quality of its weapons.

Two ships of Pakistan Navy, PNS Tipu Sultan and PNS Himmat, along with a ship of Pakistan Maritime Security Agency, PMSS Basol, also took part in the joint military exercise. The defence analysts noted that one of the most important aims of the exercise was to activate the concept of joint military combat operations plans to counter hostile acts that threaten the security and stability of the region. Tens of thousands of soldiers from various Arab countries, Asia and Africa participated in the drills.