The Egyptian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Mohamed Farid said on Tuesday the high combat readiness of participating forces in a joint military exercise with Sudan affirmed their ability to address challenges and threats faced by the two neighboring nations.

According to a statement by the Egyptian Armed Forces spokesperson, Farid attended the end of the joint drill, dubbed Guardians of the Nile, which began in Sudan last week, with the participation of ground, naval and air forces from both countries’ militaries.

The main stage of the drill began with Egyptian and Sudanese paratroopers executing a jump and multi-role combat aircraft carrying out inspection and aerial bombardments against hostile targets.

Multi-purpose helicopters also executed joint landing operations by the Special Forces of the two countries on hostile targets and search and rescue operations in the vicinity of the landing.

The naval forces simultaneously executed several naval activities, including atypical shots and raids on vital targets.

The Egyptian Armed Forces chief of staff praised the combat readiness of participating forces and delivered appreciation by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Defence Minister General Mohamed Zaki to Sudan's political and military leadership.

From his side, Sudan’s Armed Forces Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Muhammad Othman Al-Hussein praised the outstanding level of participating forces, affirming the depth of Egyptian-Sudanese relations.

Both military officials later discussed joint military cooperation in the coming period and security and military threats and challenges.

The joint drill is one of several exercises executed by the Egyptian and Sudanese armies recently, including joint aerial exercises Nile Eagles 1 in November 2020 and Nile Eagles 2 in March and April 2021.