India-Mongolia military exercise kicks off in Mizoram

Kolkata, April 5 : A 14-day India-Mongolia military training exercise began on Wednesday at Vairengte in Mizoram, a Defence Ministry spokesman said.

Christened 'Exercise Nomadic Elephant - XII', it is aimed at training troops in counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations under the United Nations mandate. It will continue till April 18.

The Mongolian Army is represented by nine officers and 36 soldiers of the elite 084 Special Forces Task Battalion while the Indian contingent comprises three officers, four Junior Commissioned Officers and 39 soldiers of Jammu and Kashmir Rifles.

The joint exercise will help strengthen defence co-operation and military relations between the two nations and is an ideal platform for both armies to share their experiences and gain mutually, the spokesman said.

The training encompasses important aspects like convoy protection, room intervention drills, ambush/counter-ambush drills while jointly conducting counter-terrorist operations under the United Nations mandate.

It lays emphasis on conducting operations by a cohesive sub-unit, comprising troops from both the armies, in intensive adverse operational conditions, thus enhancing the inter-operability between the two forces.