Armies of India and Nepal carried out joint disaster relief operations in the Himalayas during exercise 'Surya Kiran' held in Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand, which was recently devastated by heavy rains and floods.
The joint drills were witnessed by Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh and his Nepalese counterpart Gen Gaurav Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana today.
"In 'Exercise Surya Kiran 5', the focus of training has been disaster response in geologically disaster prone zones in the Himalayas," an Army release said here.
Both the Army chiefs expressed satisfaction at the level of preparation and coordination displayed by troops and both the contingents shared their experiences in handling such situations in future.
This is the first time that India and Nepal are holding battalion-level drills and focusing on the disaster response aspect.
"Both the chiefs were thoroughly impressed by the high standards of training and synergy displayed by participating contingents and complemented the troops for their efforts. The next combined training is scheduled in Nepal in December this year," it said.
The exercise also helped in promoting understanding, inter operability and jointness in conduct of operations at battalion level.
Meanwhile, special forces and tanks of India and Russia will take part in a ten-day war game between the two countries being held in the Mahajan field firing ranges of Rajasthan starting October 18.
The exercise INDRA will be held in desert conditions with an aim of practising employment of mechanised and special forces as part of peace-keeping operations under the UN charter, Army officials said.
Around 100 troops each from both sides will participate in the exercise along with equipment such as T-72 tanks, BMP Infantry Combat Vehicles and other heavy equipment.
