CAIRO, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- The Egyptian and Kuwaiti forces started two simultaneous joint military drills in Kuwait code-named "Al-Yarmouk-4" and "Sabah-1" that will last for several days in Kuwait, the Egyptian military spokesman said in a statement on Thursday.
Being held for the first time between Egypt and Kuwait, "Sabah-1" started with theoretical and practical courses ahead of sailing as well as coordination of efforts to carry out a mock operation to restore and secure an island of strategic importance, according to Egypt's army spokesman Tamer al-Refaie.
As for "Al-Yarmouk-4" military drill, it includes performing a number of offensive and defensive air operations targeting vital sites to enhance the combat capabilities of the two countries.
"The drills contribute to supporting the ties of military cooperation between the armed forces of both countries to confront all joint challenges that may face the region," Refaie said.
Meanwhile, the Kuwaiti military said in a statement that the mock battles involve elite personnel, F-18 warplanes from the Kuwaiti air forces and F-16 jet fighters from the Egyptian counterparts.
Earlier in January, Egypt and Bahrain held three-day joint air-naval drills dubbed "Hamad-3" at an air base in the south of the Gulf country.
Egypt regularly holds joint military exercises with Arab, African and Western states to boost military collaboration and exchange military expertise with them.
