Article Posted on : - Oct 11, 2011

Indian and French soldiers during opening ceremony of Indo-French joint military exercise SHAKTI- 2011 at Chaubattia, Ranikhet on Monday. Photo: PTI.

NEW DELHI (PTI): India and France has begun the first-ever joint army exercise to share their expertise in counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations.

"The two-week exercise is aimed at enhancing combat skills, promoting mutual understanding and inter-operability between the two armies. 60 troops from French 13 Mountain Battalion and an equal number of soldiers from 2 Bihar regiment are participating in the exercise which is being held in Chaubattia in Ranikhet," an official release said on Monday.

During the exercise codenamed "Shakti 2011", the troops from the two countries will practice basic combat tactics related to various aspects of counter-terrorism operations in detail and exchange their combat techniques and skills, it said.

"The training syllabus also includes sharing of each other's experiences and lessons drawn from operations undertaken by the two great armies," the release said.

The highlights of the training would be the final consolidation exercise in which troops of both armies will jointly plan and execute a series of counter-terrorist operations.

The joint operations will include techniques and employment of commandos in the thick forests on the outskirts of Ranikhet.

"The exercise is likely to enhance defence cooperation and military-to-military relations between the two nations and will be a harbinger to future cooperation in ensuring world peace and stability," the release said.