HM the King attends "Sword of Abdulla" drill

Riyadh, Apr. 29. (BNA) -- His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa attended today the closing ceremony of the joint drill (Sword of Abdullah), at the invitation of Saudi Arabia Crown Prince, Deputy Premier and Minister of Defence HRH Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. The live ammunition drill was conducted by the Saudi armed forces in Hafr Al-Batin city, and is considered the biggest of its kind in terms of military equipment and number of participants. HM the King attended the drill which included various defence and attack operations, in addition to air and sea landing, as well as electronic warfare and air defence operations. At the end of the drill, HM the King, the Supreme Commander, expressed delight at attending the event bearing the name of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdulla bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. HM the King expressed sincere thanks and appreciation to the Saudi Crown Prince for inviting him to such a big mobilisation drill. HM the King added that cooperation between the Bahraini and Saudi armed forces was based on solid historical bases and would continue developing, recalling, in this regard, "Al-Fateh Drill", held in the Kingdom of Bahrain in 1975 between the Bahrain Defence Force and the Saudi armed forces. He said that Al-Fateh Drill, the first bilateral Gulf military exercise , reflected the strength of the long-standing Bahraini-Saudi military cooperation, affirmed the deep-rooted solid bilateral cooperation in all fields and enhanced cooperation among GCC countries, in line with the kingdom's unwavering determination to boost GCC relations and joint action. HM the King voiced admiration of the drill, praising the Saudi military personnel's outstanding performance, readiness, bravery, high morale and professionalism in using all weapons and modern military technology. He affirmed the importance of such mobilisation and tactical drills in upgrading the competence and military skills, noting that the Saudi armed forces has developed the competence of its personnel and provided them with the latest and most developed military systems thanks to the directives and wise leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdulla bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Supreme Commander, and support of the Crown Prince, Deputy Premier and Defence Minister HRH Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. He added that the Saudi leadership had supported the Saudi Armed Forces in order to be able to safeguard the country, play a crucial role in the security and stability of the region so as to enable its countries to preserve their civilisational gains, and contribute to promoting global peace. HM King Hamad congratulated the Saudi Monarch and Crown Prince on the outstanding success of the "Sword of Abdulla" drill, and praised the distinguished performance of the affiliates of the Saudi Armed Forces. WHQ