A "North Thunder" military drill was launched in northern Saudi Arabia on Saturday with the participation of forces representing the Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Bahrain, Senegal, Sudan, Kuwait, Maldives, Morocco, Pakistan, Chad, Turkey, Tunisia, Comoros, Djibouti, Oman, Qatar, Malaysia, Egypt and Mauritania, in addition to the Peninsula Shield Forces, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The "North Thunder" received regional and international attention as the largest military drill in the world in terms of the number of participating forces as well as the breadth of the maneuver area, SPA said. The drill focuses on training troops on how to deal with terror groups and how to transfer from traditional to low-intensity combat operations. The drill comes in light of the growing terrorist threats as well as the political instability in the region. It also reflects the desire of the participating countries in maintaining the region's security and stability.
