His Majesty King Abdullah, the Supreme Commander of the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army, accompanied by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II, on Tuesday inaugurated the Special Operations Forces Exhibition SOFEX 2018, held this year in its 12th edition.

King Abdullah was received by His Royal Highness Prince Feisal bin Al Hussein, the chairman of SOFEX, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Freihat.

SOFEX Director Amer Tabaa said over 350 companies from 35 countries are showcasing their latest innovations at the exhibition.

His Majesty and Crown Prince Al Hussein attended a drill that included paratrooper deployment and cordoning off an area with air cover from F-16 fighter jets to simulate hostage rescue from a terrorist group.

His Majesty and His Royal Highness toured the local, Arab, and international pavilions at SOFEX, and were briefed on the defence and counterterrorism equipment on display.

Royal family members, senior officials and army officers, heads of security agencies, and heads of delegations participating in SOFEX, as well as a number of diplomats and military attachés attended the opening ceremony.

Convened biannually in Jordan since 1996, SOFEX provides an opportunity for defence industry members around the world to engage in discussions with high-ranking military officials, network with visiting delegations and showcase their contributions of technologies and solutions.