Morocco Prepares for ‘African Lion 2023’ Military Drill

The planning meeting of the African Lion 2023 (MAP)
The planning meeting of the African Lion 2023 (MAP)
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Morocco Prepares for ‘African Lion 2023’ Military Drill

The planning meeting of the African Lion 2023 (MAP)
The planning meeting of the African Lion 2023 (MAP)

Morocco announced Monday that the African Lion 2023 military exercise would be held between May 22 and June 16.

The announcement came during the planning meeting of the African Lion 2023 at the level of the South Zone Headquarters in Agadir, held between January 9 and 20, according to the General Staff of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces.

The meeting included members of the Supreme Commander and Chief of General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) and the representatives of the Moroccan and US armed forces.

The statement indicated they discussed the execution of various activities planned within the framework of the African Lion drills and chose the sites for the exercises.

The drills will include training in several operational areas and a planning exercise for staff executives, joint and combined maneuvers including land, airborne, maritime, special forces, air, civil-military action, and nuclear, radiological, biological, and chemical decontamination, the statement said.

The US and Moroccan planners agreed on the modalities of the joint show between the FAR and the 23rd Utah State Army Band, which will be held on the sidelines of the operational activities of the African Lion 23.

The show is part of the activities planned on the 20th anniversary of the bilateral cooperation between the FAR and the Utah State National Guard.

African Lion 23 will take place from May 22 to June 16, 2023, in Agadir, Tantan, Al-Mahbes, Tiznit, Kenitra, Ben Guerir, and Tifnit.

African Lion is the most important multinational exercise on the African continent. It has been organized in Morocco over the past two decades, reflecting the strong cooperation between Morocco and the United States as a privileged strategic partner of the Kingdom.

The statement concluded that the participation of several countries, especially African ones, in this annual event establishes Morocco as a credible partner, open and committed to its origins and the ideals of the international community, namely peace, security, and co-development.



UK Lifts Sanctions on Syrian Central Bank and Petroleum Firms

A general view of the commercial harbor of Syria's coastal city of Tartous, Syria, December 14, 2024. (Reuters)
A general view of the commercial harbor of Syria's coastal city of Tartous, Syria, December 14, 2024. (Reuters)
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UK Lifts Sanctions on Syrian Central Bank and Petroleum Firms

A general view of the commercial harbor of Syria's coastal city of Tartous, Syria, December 14, 2024. (Reuters)
A general view of the commercial harbor of Syria's coastal city of Tartous, Syria, December 14, 2024. (Reuters)

Britain unfroze the assets of Syria's central bank and 23 other entities including banks and oil companies on Thursday, reversing sanctions imposed during Bashar al-Assad's presidency.

The West is rethinking its approach to Syria after opposition forces led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group ousted Assad as president in December after more than 13 years of civil war.

"We are lifting asset freezes on 24 Syrian entities that were previously used by the Assad regime to fund the oppression of the Syrian people," a foreign office spokesperson said.

"At the same time, sanctions on members of the Assad regime and those involved in the illicit trade in captagon remain in place."

Captagon in an addictive amphetamine-like stimulant widely produced in Syria during Assad's rule.

A notice posted on the British government website said entities including the central bank, the Commercial Bank of Syria and the Agricultural Cooperative Bank had been delisted and were no longer subject to an asset freeze.

Syrian Arab Airlines, Syrian Petroleum Company, Syria Trading Oil Company (SYTROL) and Overseas Petroleum Trading were also among those delisted.

Syria's Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has called repeatedly for the lifting of Western sanctions that were imposed to isolate Assad during the civil war.

Last month, the European Union eased restrictions on the Syrian central bank while keeping in place the sanctions. The US has said its sanctions on the central bank remain in place.

A Syrian government media official did not immediately respond to a request for comment.