Joint Indo-Malaysian military exercise held in Kuala Lumpur

A joint exercise 'Harima Shakti' 2018 is being held at Wardieburn Army Camp in Kuala Lumpur, as a part of the ongoing Indo-Malaysian defence cooperation.

The Indian and Malaysian armies commenced the joint military exercise on Monday.

Lieutenant Colonel Irwan Ibrahim, commanding officer of the First Royal Ranger Regiment of Malaysian Army, welcomed the Indian contingent and wished the Indian and Malaysian troops for a successful and mutually beneficial joint exercise, as per a government press release.

The two-week long military exercise began with a formal handing over of the regimental flag to the Malaysian Army, signifying the merger of the Indian and Malaysian contingents under one commander.

Further, there were customary briefings to the joint contingent on Malaysian country brief, exercise settings, and security aspects.

The day ended on a sporty note as the two armies played a friendly volleyball match which was won by India.

The joint operation was conducted with respect to the United Nations (UN) mandate to improve counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism tactical and technical skills.

Emphasis will be laid on increasing the interoperability between the Indian and Malaysian military forces.