‘Bright Star’ Military Drill Concludes in Egypt

The Bright Star 2021 drill concluded on Friday. (SPA)
The Bright Star 2021 drill concluded on Friday. (SPA)
TT

‘Bright Star’ Military Drill Concludes in Egypt

The Bright Star 2021 drill concluded on Friday. (SPA)
The Bright Star 2021 drill concluded on Friday. (SPA)

The Bright Star 2021 multinational military drill concluded in Egypt on Friday.

The exercise, held at the Mohammed Naguib base, witnessed the participation of Saudi Arabia, the United States, Britain, Greece, Jordan, Pakistan and Cyprus, as well as 13 observer nations.

The drill was significant for the region due to the range of joint forces taking part and the diverse nature of the terrain where it was held.

The conclusion of the drill witnessed training on various combat scenarios. Attack helicopters carried out combat airdrops for members of the special forces. Armored vehicles trained on raid operations with the use of live ammunition.

Forces from Saudi Arabia showed high combat readiness and skill in performing all the trainings.



More Than 50,000 Refugees Return to Syria from Türkiye

A boy cycles past buildings which were damaged during the war between opposition forces and the Assad regime, in the town of Harasta, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
A boy cycles past buildings which were damaged during the war between opposition forces and the Assad regime, in the town of Harasta, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
TT

More Than 50,000 Refugees Return to Syria from Türkiye

A boy cycles past buildings which were damaged during the war between opposition forces and the Assad regime, in the town of Harasta, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
A boy cycles past buildings which were damaged during the war between opposition forces and the Assad regime, in the town of Harasta, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Türkiye’s Interior Affairs Minister said Thursday that a total of 52,622 refugees have returned to Syria from Türkiye in the first month following Bashar Assad’s removal from power on Dec. 8.
Speaking at the Cilvegozu border crossing between Türkiye and Syria on Thursday, Ali Yerlikaya said that more than 40,000 Syrians had returned with family members while some 11,000 individuals crossed into Syria alone.
“The voluntary, safe, honorable and regular returns have started to increase,” Yerlikaya said.
Türkiye has hosted the largest number of Syrian refugees since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011 — more than 3.8 million at its peak in 2022.