PUNE, 27 October 2006 — More than 150 US Marine Corps personnel and an equal number from the Indian Army infantry division took part in “Shatrujeet”, a ten-day military exercise that aims to boost cooperation in countering terrorism. The exercise began in Belgaum yesterday.
An Indian Army officer at the Southern Command headquarters of the army in Pune said the exercise involves a limited number of troops because it is being conducted at the company level.
The exercise aims at preparations for effective joint anti-terror operations in urban and semi-urban insurgency-hit environment.
The exercise will also focus on anti-terror operations like combat shooting, unarmed combat and suicide attacks. “The Americans will learn from our experiences of fighting insurgency in the northeast and Jammu and Kashmir,” said an army officer.
The exercise is likely to involve mock-up operations replicating those carried out by the US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the Indian Army would learn from the Americans’ experiences in those countries. The joint military exercise will not be restricted to combat issues only. It will also involve sessions on preserving human rights while carrying out counterterrorism operations.
