French military units have begun a week-long series of 'Gulf Shield 01' exercises in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which are due to end on 5 March. France has sent 1,500 troops to the region to exercise with forces from the UAE and Qatar, together with eight Dassault Mirage 2000 multirole fighter aircraft and two frigates. Local reports state an undisclosed number of Dassault Rafale B multirole fighter aircraft are also involved in the exercises. France's Rafales are currently based in Kandahar supporting multinational operations in Afghanistan.
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