These military land maneuvers, which took place on the maneuvering area at the mouth of the Oued Draa in Tan-Tan, in preparation for the “African Lion 2023” closing exercises scheduled for next Friday in the same area, saw the participation of units from the Royal Armed Forces and the American Armed Forces.
The operational training included heavy artillery shells, Moroccan-American armored vehicle fire, and infantry maneuvers aboard heavy armored personnel carriers.
They were also marked by the execution of an operation using military equipment from military engineering units, aimed at breaching the barriers set up by the enemy. The equipment used triggered a large explosion to destroy these barriers, enabling friendly units to continue their progression through secure corridors, as part of attack and counter-attack missions.
The military maneuvers were monitored on site by Major General Mohamed Makboub, Commander of the Draa Valley military sector, and by military observers from 8 countries, namely Sierra Leone, Egypt, Liberia, Portugal, Cabo Verde, Pakistan, Azerbaijan and Hungary.
In statements to MAP following the maneuvers, several military observers said they were impressed by these important exercises, in terms of both planning and organization.
In this context, William Preston, Sergeant First Class in the US Armed Forces, said he was “impressed” by the level of organization of these maneuvers, stressing that “the coordination has been really perfect”.
Lieutenant-Colonel Geoffroy ST Gal de Pons, representative of the US Embassy in Brazil, expressed his delight at being present in Morocco for the first time, saying that this combined exercise would further strengthen the partnership between Morocco and the United States.
He emphasized that the “African Lion” exercise is aimed at preserving peace and security on the African continent.
Jas Gbondo, Air Commodore of the Sierra Leone Air Force, praised the “exceptional level” of this military exercise, expressing his pride at taking part, as an observer, in these military maneuvers, whose level of coordination between the participating military forces is “excellent”. “I can say that this military exercise was a real success”, he said.
For his part, Gee Charto Bobby, Sergeant First Class in the Armed Forces of Liberia, expressed his great satisfaction at the high level of this “well-planned and coordinated” exercise, underlining the importance of “African Lion 2023” in strengthening security in the Sahel and Sahara region.
“African Lion” is a combined joint exercise organized each year by FAR and the US Armed Forces.
The exercise, which will run until June 16 in seven Moroccan regions (Agadir, Tan-Tan, Mehbes, Tiznit, Kenitra, Benguerir and Tifnit), is an annual event that contributes to consolidating Moroccan-American military cooperation and strengthening exchanges between the armed forces of different countries with a view to promoting security and stability in the region.
