News / Saudi Arabia

Saudi Tornado fighter jets join Turkey war games

Tuesday, 24 May 2016 10:12 AM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 25 May 2016 5:35 AM ]

The file photo of a Saudi Arabian Tornado warplane

The Saudi Arabian air force has dispatched a number of its Tornado warplanes to multinational aerial war games underway in Turkey.

The fighters flew to the Konya Air Base in the southern Turkish city of Konya on Tuesday to join the so-called Anatolian Eagle maneuvers.

Saudi Maj. Gen. Ali bin Zafer al-Amri said that, after arrival, the aircraft participated in relevant drills, which marked the end of the third stage of the war games.

The 20-day-long maneuvers enlist air forces from 11 countries, including the US, Germany, and Qatar and are to last until June 10. The exercises are said to be one of the biggest ones of their kind in the world.

The airbase had already received a group of Saudi airmen and ground forces.

Back in February and amid Riyadh’s hyped rhetoric suggesting potential Saudi troop deployment to Syria, Riyadh deployed four jets to the Incirlik Air Base, similarly located in southern Turkey.

Ankara and Riyadh have been implicated in supporting militant groups operating in Syria, with reports saying that Ankara actively trains and arms the militants there and facilitates their safe passage into the war-torn Arab country.

Saudi Arabia and Turkey are also partaking in the so-called Operation Inherent Resolve, the US-led campaign that purports to be targeting the Takfiri terrorist group of Daesh in Syria and Iraq since 2014. The operation has fallen severely short of dislodging the militants.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk