Pending the effective start of the African Lion 2019, the Moroccan-US yearly military drills, scheduled for April 1, units of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) and the US Army have deployed in the region of Tata in Southern Morocco, a field hospital that will provide medical care to the local population. This year’s Morocco-US sponsored exercise is taking place in the region of Agadir, Tifnit, Tan-Tan, Tata and Ben Guerir, with the participation of thousands of military personnel. The drills also include training on counter-terrorism operations, land and air exercises as well as a tactical simulation. In addition to Morocco and the USA, military units and observers from Canada, Spain, Great Britain, Senegal, and Tunisia, are taking part in the African lion 2019, held from March 16 to April 7. The annual African Lion exercise intends to enhance U.S., African partner nations’, western partner nations’, and regional organizations’ capabilities and interoperability to contain regional instability, conduct peace operations, counter violent extremist organizations (VEOs), maintain cross-border security, and counter transnational threats.

Source: The North Africa Journal March 27, 2019 17:26 UTC