‘Arab Nato’ nations to start joint drill

Cairo- Egypt’s military says ground, air and naval units from five Arab nations are arriving to join their Egyptian counterparts for large-scale war games.

A military statement on Wednesday says forces from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan will take part in the Nov. 3-16 exercises codenamed “Arab Shield.” The drill is to take place in western Egypt.

The announcement comes a little more than a month after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with the foreign ministers from the six nations, plus those from Oman and Qatar, to advance the creation of an anti-Iran alliance uniting America’s Middle East partners.

The proposed alliance, dubbed “Arab Nato”, follows the derailment three years ago of efforts to create a joint Arab force agreed by a 2015 Arab summit.