About 200 soldiers will take part in the Desert Shield anti-terrorism exercises. This first joint ground operation on Algerian soil will take place in the west of the country, near Morocco.
Russia and Algeria are launching Desert Shield 2022 maneuvers, which bring together some 200 soldiers from Russian and Algerian counterterrorism forces in Bechar Province, about 50 kilometers from the Moroccan border.
The Russian Foreign Ministry had previously stressed that these joint maneuvers, scheduled from November 16 to 28, were not targeted at “any third country.”
The exercises will take place at the Hammaguir base, the existence of which was extended for five years after the country gained independence following the Evian Accords between France and Algeria, so that the French army could continue to test rockets and missiles there.
This will be the first time that soldiers from both countries will train together on Algerian soil to simulate “the search for and elimination of terrorist groups.”
It is noted that Algeria is becoming the world’s largest importer of Russian arms. According to the Algerian press, a huge contract is being prepared, which is valued at over $11 billion. The procurement could include a fifth-generation single-engine stealth fighter aircraft, the Sukhoi Su-75 “Checkmate”.
Ru-Main, 16.11.2022
Source: Sputnik
