US, South Korea conduct joint maneuvers with B-52 strategic bomber

Seoul, Mar 6 (EFE).- South Korea and the United States carried out Monday joint military drills that included a B-52 strategic bomber, in the latest show of military muscle against North Korea’s military threats, Seoul’s defense ministry said.

The latest exercises were carried out over the Yellow Sea and also involved South Korean F-15 and F16 fighters, according to a statement by the ministry.

On Friday, Washington and Seoul carried out a similar exercise using a B-1 strategic bomber, which unlike the B-52 does not have the capacity to carry nuclear weapons.

These drills come ahead of the Freedom Shield exercise, set to take place from Mar.13-23, amid concerns of Pyongyang launching fresh provocations.

In February, Pyongyang even warned that, if the US decided to continue with its plan to hold major military maneuvers this month with South Korea, the regime could view these actions as a declaration of war.

The Korean peninsula has been witnessing heightened tensions since 2022, as Pyongyang – after rejecting offers to return to the negotiating table – carried out a record number of weapons tests to which the allied forces responded with large scale military drills. EFE

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