A Saudi soldier fires a mortar toward a Houthi movement position, at the Saudi border with Yemen, April 21, 2015. (photo by REUTERS)
Frank Gardner, BBC: Can Saudi Arabia fight two wars at once?
In the vast deserts of northern Saudi Arabia, close to the borders of Iraq and Kuwait, Exercise Northern Thunder has just concluded.
For nearly a month, the kingdom has been hosting forces from 20 allied nations, its first chance to practise integrating the Saudi-led Islamic Coalition announced last year to combat terrorism. This, say the Saudis, is the largest concentration of military forces in the region since the Desert Storm campaign of 1991 drove Iraq's army out of Kuwait.
Local media reports quoting figures of 350,000 troops looked to have been somewhat exaggerated.
There was little sign of massed formations of infantry and the Saudi general in charge declined to give me a total figure - "the numbers are not important" - suggesting that the actual turnout may have been lower than expected.
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WNU Editor: I am sure that Saudi Arabia can fight two wars at once .... but will they win? Considering the fact that they are having problems defeating a rag-tag army known as the Houthis in Yemen .... I have doubts.
1 comment:
"exercise's official Dira al-Watan (Nation Shield) media channel has not stated how many personnel are involved, but judging by its media releases, the exercise is a modest affair compared to 'Bright Star 2000', which was held in Egypt in 1999 and involved around 73,000 troops from 11 countries."
http://asian-defence-news.blogspot.ca/2016/02/saudi-raad-al-shamal-north-thunder.html?m=1
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