MAKKAH — As per the directives of Minister of Defense Prince Khalid bin Salman, the Chief of the Saudi General Staff Lt. Gen. Fayyad Al-Ruwaili inspected the units of the armed forces and sectors of the Ministry of Defense participating in this year's Hajj mission to ensure their readiness in supporting the government agencies involved in Hajj. Lt. Gen. Al-Ruwaili commenced his tour by inspecting the Air Force unit at Arafat airport, where he was welcomed by chairman of the Supervisory Committee for the Ministry of Defense's participation in the Hajj season, along with the commander of the participating armed forces units in the Hajj mission, and several officers. During the visit, Chief of the General Staff received a briefing about the unit and its assigned tasks. Afterwards, he visited the headquarters of the units participating in the Hajj, where he received a briefing about their tasks and responsibilities in serving the pilgrims. He then inaugurated several projects to rehabilitate the ministry's camps for its personnel, as well as for the families of martyrs and injured Saudis and Yemenis. He also launched a project to rehabilitate camps for the ministry's guests from over 20 countries. Al-Ruwaili was briefed on the guidance and religious programs provided by the General Directorate of Religious Affairs of the Armed Forces. He also inspected the participation of the military police tasked with supporting the internal security forces in crowd management and organizing the movement of pilgrims in the courtyards of the Grand Mosque. His tour also included a visit to the field hospital affiliated with the Ministry of Defense's health services in Arafat, where he reviewed its advanced medical equipment and facilities and met with the medical and healthcare staff at the hospital. In addition, the tour included an inspection visit to the duty force field at Al-Maghmas, where he was briefed on their operations and tasks and assigned security plans. Speaking on the occasion, Al-Ruwaili conveyed greetings and appreciation from the Minister of Defense to all participants in this year's Hajj mission. He emphasized that the security of Hajj and pilgrims is a red line that cannot be compromised and that the participating armed forces are providing support to the military forces responsible for the safety and security of the pilgrims. He also emphasized the importance of the Kingdom's role in serving the pilgrims, commending the professional work carried out by the ministry's personnel in particular and the participating government sectors in general under the great attention of the wise leadership.
