US, UAE troops hold major exercise amid virus, Iran tensions U.S. Marines and Emirati forces have held a major military exercise that saw forces seize a sprawling model Mideast cityAL-HAMRA MILITARY BASE, United Arab Emirates -- U.S. Marines and Emirati forces held a major military exercise Monday that saw forces seize a sprawling model Mideast city, a drill conducted amid tensions with Iran and despite the new coronavirus pandemic. Troops raced over the dunes of the Al-Hamra Military Base to take the model city, complete with multi-story buildings, an airport control tower, an oil refinery and a central mosque. Controlled explosions rang out as Emirati troops rappelled from hovering helicopters and Marines searched narrow streets on the Persian Gulf for “enemy” forces. Its day-to-day ruler, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has sought to project Emirati military power in the Mideast and into East Africa as well. Emirati military officials at the base in al-Hamra on Monday declined to speak to Associated Press journalists.

Source: ABC News March 23, 2020 13:41 UTC