The visit comes as Morocco has been reinforcing its land forces with batches of M1A1 Abrams tanks. The Moroccan armed forces have received so far no less than 127 M1A1 Abrams Tanks from the US, said infodefensa, a defense news agency. The Donald Trump administration has approved the shipping of 162 Abrams tanks to Morocco last year to help the kingdom respond to regional challenges. Land forces are key to the Moroccan army, which has fought a guerilla war by the Algerian-backed separatists until the UN brokered a ceasefire in 1991. Designed for modern armored ground warfare, Abrams tank is the main battle tank in the US Army and Marine Corps.

Source: The North Africa Journal August 18, 2018 23:03 UTC