King Mohammed hails army for defense and construction

King Mohammed VI, Commander in Chief and chief of staff of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR), accompanied by his brother Prince Moulay Rachid, supervised Saturday a military parade at the headquarters of the Southern Zone Command.

In a keynote address, the king recalled how the city was the onset of the Green March which helped the country retrieve its southern provinces underscoring the role of the FAR in staging the march, defending the kingdom's territorial integrity, warding off repeated aggressions and cementing borders.

The care they showed in rescue and reconstruction of the city leveled down by an earthquake (in 1961) was displayed in other parts of the country, said the king stressing the fact their dual mission was also illustrated with worldwide acclaimed action, in Arab and African countries, and humanitarian relief in Somalia, Bosnia and Kosovo.

The king paid tribute to the Royal Armed Forces, rank and file, for tireless sacrifices at the nation's service and pledged further efforts to raise their morale and standards. He voiced satisfaction at the organization, discipline and drive he saw in his inspection tour of FAR commands in Errachidia and Ouarzazat.

King Mohammed VI and Prince Moulay Rachid visited the same day the Southern Command medical unit which admitted FAR servicemen who returned recently to Morocco after several years of detention in Tindouf, in the Algerian southwest.