African Lion 2022: Observers from 20 countries attend operational training at Cap Draa Near Tan Tan

Military observers from some twenty partner countries attended, Tuesday at Cap Draa (north of Tan-Tan), operational trainings conducted as part of the combined Moroccan-American exercise African Lion 2022.

The maneuvers were attended by Lieutenant General Belkhir El Farouk, Inspector General of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) and Commander of the South Zone.

Organized by FAR and the U.S. Armed Forces, the African Lion exercise, the largest military exercise in Africa, which runs until June 30, aims to perfect the intervention capabilities of participating units and strengthen their combined action capabilities in planning and implementing military operations in a coalition.

In a statement to MAP, Colonel Nabil Taoussi, director of the tactical exercise in Cape Draa, said the tactical exercise organized in Cape Draa with the participation of more than 2,500 soldiers, aims to strengthen the maneuvering capabilities of participating units and consolidate interoperability on the tactical and technical levels.

These military maneuvers include shooting sessions using different weapons (individual, Abrams tanks, heavy artillery, anti-tank missile launchers, …), he noted, stressing that these trainings will be marked by a joint maneuver, with the key to air bombardment operations and destruction of the enemy by the alternate and coordinated use of all weapons, as well as a combination of fire and movement.

The Cape Draa military exercise, including air and land maneuvers, is a preparatory exercise for the final maneuvers, which will take place Thursday in the same area with the participation of units of FAR and U.S. forces.

The air maneuvers included the execution of several missions by FAR and US Air Force means, among others, Moroccan planes “F16”, American bombers “B1” and American helicopters “AH 64” Apache.

As for the ground maneuvers, they included the firing of heavy artillery shells, the launching of long-range ground-to-ground missiles and the launching of missiles from Moroccan-American “Abrams” armored vehicles, as well as infantry maneuvers using heavy armored vehicles carrying soldiers.

The African Lion 2022 involves more than 7,500 service members, featuring a joint task force command post exercise, a combined arms live fire exercise, a maritime exercise, an air exercise including bomber aircraft, a joint forcible entry with paratroopers into a field training exercise, a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear response exercise, and a humanitarian civic assistance program event.

Part of this humanitarian event, a medical-surgical field hospital was deployed in the town of Taliouine (Taroudant province).

The field hospital, mobilizing medical teams consisting of doctors and nurses from FAR and the U.S. Army, has been operational since June 13. It provides medical and surgical services for the benefit of local populations in the region.

This year’s exercise, launched on June 20 at the Southern Zone Command, is attended by 10 African and international countries, as well as some twenty military observers from partner countries.

The drills are taking place in the regions of Agadir, Benguerir, Kenitra, Mahbes, Taroudant and Tan Tan.