Sisi attends final stage of North Thunder exercises

President Abdel Fattah El Sisi attended Thursday morning the final stage of the joint military exercise "Thunder of the North", which was held at King Khalid Military base in Hafr el Batin, said Presidential Spokesman Alaa Youssef on Thursday.

The drills, deemed the largest in the history of the Middle East, were attended by Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud along with a host of kings and presidents of Arab and Islamic countries which took part in the maneuvers. 

Sisi attended the final stage of the military exercise, which saw the participation of 300,000 soldiers from 14 Arab countries and six Islamic countries, said the spokesman. 

The spokesman further said that the military drill "Thunder of the North", which started on February 26 and run until March 10, is considered the largest of its kind in the history of the Middle East. 

Twenty countries including Egypt, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Qatar, and Jordan took part in the military drill which was held in northern Saudi Arabia.

Youssef, meanwhile, said that the training 
aimed at encouraging cooperation between the various forces.

Source: MENA