Egypt, UK launch ‘Ahmose’ joint military exercise

Egypt and the UK launched Tuesday the ‘Ahmose’ month-long military exercise, which the British Embassy in Cairo said “will enhance defense cooperation between British and Egyptian troops as well as facilitate the sharing of expertise in warfare scenarios.”

Around 165 British military personnel will participate in the exercise that kicked off at the Mohamed Naguib Military Base in Alexandria.

The exercise came nearly over one year after the Egyptian and British ministries of defense signed a memorandum of understanding to execute joint military exercises as part of efforts to bolster counterterrorism cooperation, Ahramonline reports.

British ambassador to Egypt, Sir Geoffrey Adams, in a statement said both countries need to work together to face the common enemy, terrorism.

“Egypt and the UK face the shared enemy of terrorism, which is threatening the stability of the region and the world. We know that in order to defeat this threat we must work together and share best practice in realistic scenarios. Ahmose marks the beginning of increased defense cooperation between our countries, to develop and ensure a safer, more secure region,” the diplomat said.

For UK Defense attaché to Egypt Colonel Ed Sandry the drill emerges as “a brilliant opportunity for the UK and Egypt to work together on building our defense resilience.”

“We are learning from each other and building on the strategic security relationship with Egypt, a strong partner and ally in the region,” Sandry said.

The Egyptian army has been waging a counterterrorism war against the Islamic State’s affiliate, Wilayat Sinai (Sinai Province), in the northeastern Sinai Peninsula and the western desert that borders Libya, for years.