ISLAMABAD: The first Pakistan-Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) “Joint Special Forces Exercise AL BATTAR-I” started at Nowshera district’s Cherat area in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Wednesday.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Pakistan and Royal Saudi Special Forces are participating in the two-week-long exercise.

“The exercise is aimed at further harnessing the historic military-to-military relations between both the countries, including nurturing of joint employment concept and identifying areas of mutual interest for future military collaboration, with a view to accrue maximum benefits from each other’s experience in employment against terrorism,” the military’s media wing added. The ISPR said that the national anthems of both countries were played at the start of the ceremony, also attended by senior officials from both the armed forces.

Such joint military exercises between armies of both brotherly countries are aimed at enhancing existing bilateral relations and benefiting from each other’s experience, it added. The two brotherly nations routinely conduct such exercises. In February, a joint exercise “Al-Samsaam-VIII-22” was held in KP’s Pabbi area. The two-week-long joint exercise was a series of ongoing bilateral military exercises between the Saudi forces and the Pakistan Army, the ISPR said.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023