Gulf military drill kicks off in Saudi Arabia

A collective military drill between Gulf countries began in Saudi Arabia's east on Saturday.

The drill is known as "Arab Gulf Security 3" and Saudi assistant interior minister Saeed bin Abdullah Al-Qahtani was present at its opening, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

Every Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nation is involved, including Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.

At the inauguration, Shaye bin Salem Al-Wadani, a Saudi general, said all troops were ready for the collective drills, which are the third in an annual series.

They seek to deepen military ties in the GCC and increase preparedness to combat the risks facing the Gulf.

Al-Qahtani passed on Saudi interior minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz's thanks and greetings to the troops gathered and his counterparts across the GCC, given their assistance.

The assistant minister additionally explained border security and coastguard forces were included for the exercises' third instalment, according to the official Qatar News Agency.

Al-Qahtani checked the medical teams involved in the drills to verify the event would proceed in a safe manner, SPA reported.