Egypt, 5 Arab nations in live ammunition military drills

Egyptian tanks take part in the Arab Shield military exercises in the Matrouh Governorate Mohamed Naguib miilitary base, northwest of the capital Cairo. (AFP)

• Thursday’s drills were held in the western desert around the “Mohammed Naguib” military base
• Forces from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan took part in the maneuvers

MARSA MATROUH, EGYPT: Military units from Egypt and five other Arab nations have conducted war drills with live ammunition in the Egyptian desert west of Cairo.
Thursday’s drills were held in the western desert around the “Mohammed Naguib” military base near the coastal Mediterranean city of Marsa Matrouh.
The drills, codenamed “Arab Shield,” bring together ground, naval and air units from Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait. They are scheduled to end Friday.
Thursday’s drills involved target practice by rocket launchers, tanks and fighter-jets.
Egypt has been holding separate drills with each of these five Arab nations in recent years, but Arab Shield marked the first time that all six allies simultaneously participated in war games.