Leaders join King Salman in Hafr Al-Batin for North Thunder

HAFR AL-BATIN: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman arrived here Wednesday for the final maneuvers of Operation North Thunder, aimed at ensuring the combat-readiness of the Kingdom and its allies.
King Salman was joined by leaders from the countries participating in the exercises. The countries include the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Bahrain, Senegal, Sudan, Kuwait, Maldives, Morocco, Pakistan, Chad, Tunisia, Comoros, Djibouti, Oman, Qatar, Malaysia, Egypt, Mauritania and Mauritius.
The maneuvers have involved 2,500 warplanes, 20,000 tanks and 350,000 troops, making it the second-largest gathering of forces in the history of the region since Desert Storm. According to analysts, the objective of the exercises is to prepare the allied forces to counter those wanting to destabilize the region.
When he arrived from Riyadh, King Salman was welcomed at King Saud Air Base Airport by Eastern Province Gov. Prince Saud bin Naif, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, second deputy premier and defense minister, and Assistant Minister of Defense Mohammed Al-Ayesh, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
Others at the airport included Chief of Staff Gen. Abdulrahman Al-Bunyan, the commanders of the branches of the armed forces, senior officers of the defense ministry, and several officials and citizens.
King Salman was briefed about operations at the base and then laid the foundation stone for construction planned for the facility, and signed the commemorative plaque of the project.
Earlier, the deputy crown prince inspected the forces taking part in the maneuvers, chaired a meeting at the joint forces advanced operation center during which the final exercises were reviewed.
Among the world leaders welcomed at the airbase by the deputy crown prince included Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, accompanied by the Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistani Army Gen. Raheel Sharif, Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir, and Egyptian President Abdulfattah El-Sisi.
Others in attendance included Oman’s Minister in Charge of Defense Affairs Badr bin Saud bin Hareb Albusaeedi, Djibouti’s President Ismail Omar Guelleh, Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, and Mauritius Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Housing and Lands Showkutally Soodhun, Comoros President Ikililou Dhoinine and Senegalese President Macky Sall.
Among the others who arrived included Moroccan Premier Abdulilah bin Kiran, Maldives Minister of Defense and National Security Adam Sharif, Commander of the Malaysian Armed Forces Dhul Kalafi Mohammed Zain, and Commander of Brunei’s Armed Forces Maj. Gen. Bihain Mohammed Tawiyah.
The Kingdom emphasized earlier this week that North Thunder was not designed to send a message to Iran but achieve specific military goals and objectives “If Iran (has) understood something else, it is that country’s problem,” said Brig. Gen. Ahmad Al-Assiri, spokesman for the Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen.
“As far as we are concerned, we are working to safeguard the security of the Kingdom and other Gulf states.”