Current Affairs
The armies of Nepal and India are participating in yet another joint exercise. The fortnight-long drill will put soldiers from Nepali Army’s Shree Bhawani Baksh Battalion and the 5 Gorkha Rifles from the Indian Army through their paces.
The 16th edition of the annual “Surya Kiran” military drill started on Friday in the forest of Saljhadi in Rupandehi in Lumbini Province.
Infantry battalions from the Indian Army and the Nepali Army train together at the Nepal Army Battle School to enhance inter-operability in jungle warfare and share experience on counter-insurgency and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations, the Nepali Army said in a statement.
During the exercise, both armies will familiarise themselves with each other’s weapons, equipment, tactics and procedures while operating in a counter-insurgency environment, especially in mountainous terrain, the statement added.
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To further enhance the scope and scale of exercise, it said, the contingents will be exposed to scenarios dealing with Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief, High Altitude Warfare and Jungle Warfare operations.
The Joint Military Training will end on December 29 with a gruelling 48-hour exercise to validate the performance of both armies in a counter-insurgency environment.
The Indian Embassy added Surya Kiran would go a long way in improving bilateral relations and mutual cooperation between the two armies and further strengthening the unique, traditional and time-tested friendship between India and Nepal.
Surya Kiran series of exercises also stands testimony to strong Indo-Nepal relations which are vast and varied, and unlikely to be found anywhere in the world, it added.
