Operation Bright Star will go ahead

The biennial US – Egypt military training exercises known as Operation Bright Star international will be held at their usual home in Egypt this year. The exercise will not be moved to Jordan, an Egyptian Armed Forces spokesperson has confirmed. The spokesperson said the exercises will take place at the appointed time as previously announced by the General Command of the Armed Forces in coordination with the US military. The exercises were cancelled in 2011 due to the outbreak of the Egyptian revolution. The spokesperson stated on Sunday that the Egyptian armed forces have been undergoing several training exercises in "friendly countries" in order to remain up-to-date on the latest techniques and maintain the highest performance levels for individuals and equipment. Jordanian newspaper Alghad had reported in its Sunday edition that Operation Bright Star would take place in Jordan instead of Egypt, claiming that internal instability in the North African country has made it unable to host the training exercises. Operation Bright Star is the largest multinational training event in Egypt, with a large number of troops taking part. It was launched in 1980 as one of the terms of the Camp David Accords signed in 1978 between Egypt and Israel.