Indian, Uzbek armies conduct counter-terrorism exercise

New Delhi, March 29 (IANS) Armies of India and Uzbekistan carried out a counter-terrorism exercise in the third edition of the Joint Field Training Exercise 'Dustlik', which ended at Uzbekistan's Yangiarik on Tuesday, the Indian Army said.

The joint exercise provided an opportunity for both the contingents to train in counter-terrorism operations in an semi-urban environment. The training focused primarily on sharing tactical level drills and learning of best practices from each other, it said.

The conduct of this exercise, which covered a vast spectrum from cross-training and combat conditioning in field conditions to sports and cultural exchanges, has been a grand success, the Army said.

The drill will enhance the level of defence cooperation between both the armies and will act as a catalyst for many such joint programmes in future to further consolidate the traditional bond of friendship between India and Uzbekistan, it added.

The last two days of the exercise was dedicated to a validation exercise where both contingents jointly conducted simulated operations over extremist groups under a United Nations Mandate.

The military exercise between countries' armies began on March 22 and ended March 29. The Indian contingent was represented by the Grenadiers Regiment and joined the Uzbekistan Army contingent represented by troops of its North-Western Military District.

The last edition of Dustlik was conducted in Ranikhet in Uttarakhand in March 2021.