Indian troops reach Bangladesh for joint military exercise

An Indian Army contingent reached Bangladesh on Friday to participate in a joint military exercise on counter-terrorism operations from November 5 to 18 at Tangail, a defence ministry spokesperson here said.

Sixth in the series of joint exercises, this edition -- Sampriti 2016 -- will be conducted at the Bangabandhu Senanibas (BBS), Tangail.

The 14-day engagement will focus on counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations in semi-mountainous and jungle terrain, the spokesperson said.

The Indian contingent, led by Col. P.S. Sandhi, comprises one company group of the Mahar Regiment, numbering close to 120 troops.

Sampriti 2016 will commence with the familiarisation phase in various tactical drills and procedures that is essential for smooth and coordinated operations.

"Subsequently, soldiers from both armies will undertake execution of joint tactical operations like cordon and search, road opening, raid and house clearance," the spokesperson said.

The Sampriti series of exercises is one of the major bilateral defensive cooperation initiatives between the armies of India and Bangladesh.

India had hosted the last joint exercise between the two nations in 2015 at Binnaguri, in West Bengal.

--IANS

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