These 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, in accordance with the High Instructions of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Supreme Commander and Chief of General Staff of FAR, the "African Lion" exercise, 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, noted that in accordance with the High Instructions of HM the King, Supreme Commander and Chief of General Staff of FAR, the Royal Armed Forces organize this 18th edition of the "African Lion", stressing that this is the largest military exercise in Africa.

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, he said.

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.

During the military exercise, held Tuesday at Cape Draa, which is a preparatory exercise for the final maneuvers, which will take place Thursday at Cape Draa in Tan-Tan, air and land maneuvers were conducted 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.

On the other hand, and as part of the parallel humanitarian activities of the "African Lion 2022" exercise, a medical-surgical field hospital was deployed in the town of Taliouine (Taroudant province).

Mobilizing medical teams consisting of doctors and nurses from FAR and the U.S. Army, this hospital has been operational since June 13, providing medical and surgical services for the benefit of local populations in the region.

This year's edition, launched on June 20 at the Southern Zone Command, is attended by 10 African and international countries, including Morocco and the United States, as well as some twenty military observers from partner countries in the regions of Agadir, Benguerir, Kenitra, Mahbes, Taroudant and Tantan.