Morocco boosts defence ties with India, buys TATA-made military trucks

Rabat: In a major push for diplomatic relations between India and Morocco, the Royal Armed Forces of the North African country are all set to acquire 92 six-wheeled military trucks manufactured by the Indian private sector. These trucks have been manufactured by Tata Advanced System. Indian Defense Research Wing (IDRW) has revealed this information in a report. Morocco’s decision to buy TATA-made military trucks and strengthen its relations with India may come as a shock for Pakistan, which had hailed the Arab country’s victory over global football powerhouse Portugal during the recent FIFA World Cup as a ‘victory of Islam’. The Moroccan army issued a statement on social media platform Twitter on Sunday, confirming that the military trucks from India were “about to be delivered”. The IDRW posted photos on social media showing 92 LPTA 244 six-wheeled trucks ready to be exported to Morocco from Port Pipavav on India’s west coast. The Military Africa website describes the characteristics of the trucks, saying they can be converted into armored vehicles and can be used in a variety of ways. The purchase of military trucks from India is part of Morocco’s efforts to diversify its arms purchases aimed at strengthening and upgrading its military with state-of-the-art equipment. In December 2022, American company L3Harris Technologies had announced the signing of a $29 million deal with Morocco to provide a ‘smart weapon release system’ to enhance the firepower of the F-16 fighter aircraft being used by the African country. Morocco improving ties with US, Israel Morocco has focused on increasing military cooperation with countries with some of the strongest militaries in the world, including the US and Israel. When Morocco reached the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup held in Qatar, Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan had called it a victory by a ‘Muslim team’. Apart from Imran Khan, a large section of the political class and general public in Pakistan had hailed the victory of Morocco as a ‘victory of Islam’. Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.