AFP, KUWAIT CITY: An advance unit of French forces consisting of about 100 troops have arrived in Kuwait to take part in joint wargames slated for February 7 to 23, the French embassy here said Tuesday.
“Up to a hundred troops arrived late Monday. They are the first batch. More troops will arrive later,” spokesman Christian Huteau told AFP.
A total of 1,200 French troops will take part in the joint maneuvers which will involve land forces, the navy and the air force, the spokesman added.
The wargames, involving four Mirage-2000 aircraft, three warships and several Puma and Gazelle helicopters, are not related to events in Iraq and were planned well in advance, said Huteau.
Kuwait and France, which signed a defense pact after the 1991 Gulf War, hold military exercises once every four years. Previous large-scale maneuvers were staged in 1996 and 2000.
