India, UK begin joint counter-terror military exercise 'Ajeya Warrior 2020’

The Indian and the British armies began the fifth edition of their joint exercise, 'Ajeya Warrior’ on Thursday, February 13 at Salisbury Plains. The exercise is aimed at conducting training of troops in counter-insurgency and counter-terrorist operations in urban and semi-urban areas. A defence ministry press release said the exercise was a great step for the armies of the two democratic countries to train together and gain from each other's rich operational experiences. 

Read: 7th Indo-Sri Lanka Joint Exercise 'MITRA SHAKTI-VII' at Pune 

UK welcomes India 

The Commander of UK 7 Infantry Brigade, Brigadier Tom Bewick welcomed the Indian contingent during the opening ceremony. The press release by the ministry further added that as part of the exercise, important lectures, demonstrations, and drills related to counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations will be conducted. The release also said that both armies will also share their experiences in countering such situations as also refine drills and procedures for joint operations wherever the need so arises. 

Read: Indian & Uzbek troops perform heliborne training during Dustlik 2019 

Joint Military exercise with Sri Lanka 

Earlier, The Indian and Sri Lankan troops carried out specialised joint training in Pune on December 6. The training included various exercises like special heliborne operations practice, silent insertion and jungle lane shooting and improvised explosive device familiarisation and handling. This came after the new Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 29. 

Read: NSA Ajit Doval calls on Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in New Delhi 

India’s joint military training with Uzbekistan  

During the ‘Dustlik 2019’, the India-Uzbekistan joint troops were seen performing a heliborne training exercise on November 7. This cames as the Indian troops visited Uzbekistan for the first time for the Indo-Uzbek Joint Exercise named 'Dustlik 2019'. The Union Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh attended the curtain raiser event of this joint exercise on November 4 along with his Uzbek counterpart Major General Bakhodir Nizamovich Kurbanov. The Joint Military Exercise was focused on counterterrorism, an area in which the two countries share a common concern. The exercise also enabled the sharing of best practices and experiences between the Armed Forces of the two countries. 

(With ANI Inputs) 

Read: PM Modi welcomes Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, upholds 'neighborhood first'