CAIRO, Aug 30 , 2018 - The Egyptian and US army troops are preparing to start the Bright Star 2018 exercise next month with the participation of forces from Greece, Jordan, Britain, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Italy and France, the Armed Forces spokesman said in a statement published on its official Facebook page on Thursday. Egypt has invited other countries such as Lebanon, Rwanda, Iraq, Pakistan, India, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Congo, Chad, Djibouti, Mali, South Africa, Niger, Senegal, and Canada as observers. Only Egyptian and American forces will take the field, he added. Some US naval and army troops have already started arriving at the Mohamed Naguib Army Base in the Western Desert to participate in the 12-day Bright Star 2018 exercise, which will start on September 8. The Bright Star 2018 drill will focus primarily on counter-terrorism, detecting and eliminating roadside bombs, and border security operations, he said.
