India-US military exercise begins in Uttarakhand

New Delhi, Sep 16 (IANS) India and US armies on Sunday began a two-week joint military exercise in Uttarakhand to hone their tactical and technical skills in countering insurgency and terrorism in a United Nation peacekeeping scenario, said officials.

They said that battalion-strong Army personnel from the US and an equal number from India are participating in 'Exercise Yudh Abhyas 2018' at Chaubattia in Almora district. 

"State-of-the-art equipment for surveillance and tracking, specialist weapons for close- quarter battle with terrorists, explosive and improvised explosive device detectors, as well as the latest communication equipment are being fielded by both sides," a Defence Ministry statement said. 

The two armies will jointly train, plan and execute a series of tactical drills for neutralisation of likely threats that may be encountered in UN peacekeeping operations during division-level command post exercise, said the statement. 

"The experts from both sides will discuss and share each other's experience in varied topics for mutual benefit." 

The exercise commenced with the unfurling of the national flags of both the countries to the strains of their respective national anthems 'Jana Gana Mana' and 'The Star Spangled Banner'. 

The US contingent was represented by 1st Infantry Battalion and 23 Infantry Regiment, while the Indian side is represented by an Infantry Battalion.

"General Officer Commanding, 6 Mountain Division, welcomed the US soldiers in his inaugural remarks and highlighted the shared beliefs in democracy, freedom, equality and justice," added the statement.