Article Posted on : - Aug 24, 2011

Soldiers from 3rd Battalion The Bihar Regiment taking part in Exercise Ajeya Warrior on Salisbury Plain. UK MoD.

NEW DELHI (PTI): Strengthening their military cooperation, India and the UK successfully carried out a counter-insurgency exercise in England last week.

Assisted by British Chinook helicopters, Warrior Armoured Fighting Vehicles and Challenger battle tanks, soldiers from the Bihar Regiment successfully performed a counter-insurgency operation exercise in Salisbury on August 19, a British High Commission release said here.

Codenamed Exercise 'Ajeya Warrior', the drill was part of a four-week training session with British troops from 19 Light Brigade of the British Army.

Led by Colonel Gahan Deep Singh, the joint drills were witnessed by senior army officers Major General Sunil Jha from South West Command and Brigadier Sarb Jit Singh Deusi, commander of 83rd Infantry Brigade.

"We want to learn from each other and there has been a real meeting of minds on this exercise. Being able to sit down and talk about different tactics, drills, the amalgamation of technology and operations has been good for both sides," Jha said.

Observing that the exercise has established a relationship between the two armies, Brigadier Stuart Skeates, Commander of 19 Light Brigade, said, "We could not have wished for a better group of officers and soldiers to train alongside. This has established a relationship with the Indian Army for the future."