Joint India-Nepal military exercise concludes

The joint India-Nepal defence exercise aimed at creating greater understanding between the armies of the two neighbouring nations has concluded, an official statement said on Sunday.

The objective of the exercise is also to develop inter-operability in jungle warfare and counter-terrorism operations in mountainous terrain.

"Eighth India-Nepal combined exercise which commenced on February 23, 2015 concluded on March 7, 2015 at Salijhandi, Nepal. The exercise was conducted under the aegis of the Nepalese Army," the statement said.

The exercise also focused on the basics of disaster management with special reference to pandemic/epidemic control and aviation aspects. Over the years, the two countries have decided to progressively increase the scope and content of the combined exercise, it said.

The final exercise was reviewed by Major General Padamvillas Karki of the Nepalese Army and Major General Vinod Prakash Singh Bhakuni of the Indian Army.

During the closing ceremony, Major General Bhakuni said the goodwill generated during the training will go a long way in further strengthening the military bond between the two armies and also in understanding each other's organisational concepts and methodology of conducting counter-terrorism operations as well as sharing knowledge and experience on the issues of disaster management.