Egypt, US special forces hold drills on combating terrorism

CAIRO – Egypt’s military says its special forces have held drills with special forces from the United States to exchange expertise on combating terrorism.

The announcement was made in a Thursday statement by Egypt’s armed forces.

The anti-terrorism drills come ahead of the “Bright Star” exercise on Sept. 8-20, which will involve additional countries including Greece, Jordan, Britain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Italy and France.

The first “Bright Star” exercise took place in 1980, but the Obama administration postponed them in 2011 following the uprising that toppled longtime President Hosni Mubarak, and scrapped them in 2013 after Egyptian security forces killed hundreds of protesters while breaking up a mass sit-in.

Last September, Egypt held the war games with U.S. troops for the first time in eight years.