Moroccan and American armies carried out Tuesday maneuvers using heavy artillery in the “Grayer Bihi” area, in the line of contact nearby the border of Algeria.
The location witnessed intensive training and bombing by the American (HIMARS) missile launchers, which are classified as the most powerful missile systems in the world.
High-ranking Moroccan and American military officials headed to the Mahbes area to learn about the exercises conducted by the US Army’s High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and the Moroccan Army’s M109 A5 Self-Propelled Armored Combat Vehicles.
General of army corps, Farouk El Khair, Inspector General of Royal Armed Forces, and captain of the south region along with Andrew M. Rohling, Deputy Commander in Chief of the US Army in Europe and Africa, headed over the Mehbes exercises, in addition to a number of Moroccan and foreign high-ranking officers.
Commander Ishaq Salem, on the operations of the “African Lion”, revealed in a statement to Hespress that the training of the “Grayer Bihi” area, which is affiliated to the Mehbes quasi sector includes various exercises.
Salem stated that the first drill concerns the Aerial Forces and the conduct of joint military maneuvers. The second drill concerns an aerial exercise in which live ammunition will be used by bombing specific targets.
Colonel Hicham El Amrani, commander of military operations in the Mehbes sector, said in a statement to Hespress that “the American-Moroccan military cooperation is strengthening year after year,” noting that “the military maneuvers aim to enhance the joint defense capabilities of the Royal Armed Forces.”
El Amrani added that there are exercises with offensive and defensive positions, including mass landing, gear landing, and private mutual drills.
It is noteworthy that Mehbes is considered among the most important military places located less than 40 kilometers from Tindouf Camps.
The participation of the US army in the “African Lion” maneuvers in the heart of the Moroccan Sahara is a real gain for the Kingdom, knowing the “Polisario” has always claimed to “bomb the Mehbes area” in the context of fake news that promotes the violation of the ceasefire.
The exercise enhances interoperability among partner nations and supports the United States’ strategic military readiness to respond to crises and emergencies in Africa and around the world.
With a budget worth $36 million, this year’ “African Lion” brings together 7,500 soldiers from Brazil, Chad, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom, and other countries.
In the program: live-fire exercises, military, and air maneuvers, joint forced entry with paratroopers during a field exercise, in addition to a chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear response exercise.
These military exercises, led by the US Army’s Southern European Task Force, mobilized 80 support aircraft, two navies, and a delegation of 28 international observers.
The drill’s objective is to boost defensive capacities to face cross-border threats and violent extremist organizations which serves the common benefit of the United States of America, Morocco, and African countries in partnership.
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