Quantum leap: Thunderous applause as military drill concludes

HAFR AL-BATIN: In a show of force, the 20 nations involved in the North Thunder military exercise held their final parade of air and ground forces on Friday, attended by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and fellow leaders.

Upon arrival, the king was requested by Brig. Gen. Ibrahim bin Isa Asiri to inspect military units participating in the exercise. The king then proceeded to do so in a vehicle with its top down, according to SPA.
In a speech, Maj. Gen. Fahad bin Abdullah Al-Mutair, commander of the Northern Region, said the military exercise was a “quantum leap” in professional and joint military action, and was important “not only in terms of the number of participating countries, the size of the forces and variety of equipment and weaponry, but also in terms of the speed at which they could respond and mobilize forces from various Arab and Islamic countries...”
Al-Mutair said the exercise included all types of military operations and “has contributed to raising the level of combat readiness of forces involved, and the degree of preparedness to successfully deter any threats to Arab and Islamic countries, especially in light of current international and regional circumstances.”
“Your majesties, on Thursday you viewed joint exercises with live ammunition, and today you will witness a ground and air military parade of key units of forces involved in this exercise.” He said all the soldiers involved in the parade would be “grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this effort.”
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.
Meanwhile, the king and the leaders of the participating nations performed Friday prayer at the Royal Hospitality Mosque in King Khalid Military City here.
In his sermon, Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Ali bin Al-Nooh, who led the prayer, spoke about the importance of the alliance to unify Muslims against terrorists and those seeking to interfere in the affairs of sovereign nations.
“Saudi Arabia has a history of being at the forefront of efforts to unite Muslims. This has been the main objective of King Salman. He wants to protect his country and Muslims from all evil and ensure peace, security and prosperity.”
North Thunder in photos