Soldiers from the “2nd Brigade of Parachute Infantry” of the Royal Moroccan Armed forces and the British Army’s Global Response Force are taking part in a three-week-long joint exercise near Marrakech.
Dubbed “Exercise Jebel Sahara”, the drill provides British paratroopers an opportunity to learn from the Moroccan troops’ experience of operating in the hot, dry and demanding conditions of the desert, said the British Army in a press release.
The British soldiers shared their skills and experience in patrolling on foot, in vehicles, marksmanship, demolitions, and casualty care with the Moroccans. The troops also practiced their fire- and maneuvering skills during live-fire battle runs.
The exercise is progressing towards a six-day wargame with British and Moroccan troops fighting side by side to seize an airport to launch strike operations from.
Major Ash Neve, Officer Commanding A Coy Gp, said: “Exercise Jebel Sahara is all about developing our readiness for operations. By working side-by-side with the Moroccans, we’ve learnt from their experience of the desert and developed a cultural understanding that will help if we operate with North African troops in the future”.
British Corporal Paul Burnell said: “It’s always interesting to come to a different country and environment to work with other countries’ armies. It’s about understanding different challenges, looking at how our partners operate and sharing skills.
The UK has been a long-standing partner in North Africa with Morocco since 1989’s first bilateral Exercise Jebel Sahara. Training together builds shared skills and relationships between both armies, which helps them to work together more effectively.
Lt. Colonel Omar Abou-El-Khebra, Commanding Officer of the 22nd Airborne Battalion, said: “Exercise Jebel Sahara is of capital importance as it allows the engagement on the ground of a relatively large number of troops to carry out various tactical missions”.
“There has been a significant flow of military knowledge between the Moroccan and British soldiers, who share a relationship based on respect and the pursuit of excellence demonstrated during the execution of combined exercises”, he added, noting that military operations in a desert environment take on a particular character imposed by the nature of the terrain and the climate, which requires advanced physical and tactical skills.
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