Qatari infantry head to S. Arabia for major military drill

Qatari mechanized infantry battalion headed today  for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to participate in "Ra'ad Al-Shamal" (Thunder of the North) maneuver which will be carried out at the King Khalid Military City in Hafr Al-Batin, northern Kingdom.

"Ra'ad Al-Shamal" is the largest military drill in the region, in terms of number of participating countries. Twenty Arab, Islamic and friendly countries, in addition to the Peninsula Shield Forces, are taking part in the major emilitary exercise.

The three-week massive maneuver aims at promoting military cooperation among the GCC, Arab and Islamic countries, developing competencies, raising combat readiness and training the participating forces on using modern military mechanisms.

In a statement before leaving for Saudi Arabia, Qatari Force's Commander Major Rashid Saleh Al-Hajri emphasized the importance of the maneuver and the need of cooperation between the brotherly and friendly countries, adding that this exercise aimed at training the forces in facing any challenge against the Gulf region.

Al-Hajri added Qatari participation will be in different sectors, namely in command centers exercises and tactical exercises.

Land and Air forces of the Qatari Armed Forces will participate in the drills, he added.

Al-Hajri also expressed pleasure for participating in the maneuver along with brothers in Saudi Arabia and the Islamic alliance in addition to brothers in the Peninsula Shield Force, hoping that it would boost cooperation with the brotherly and friendly