Shillong,(Meghalaya),Feb 16: The 14-day Indo-Bangladesh joint military training exercise, Sampriti-IX, ended at Umroi on Saturday.
During the fortnight long exercise between the armies of the two neighboring countries, specific input of terrorists presence & hostage situation by villagers to company commanders carrying out area domination, insertion of specially trained house intervention teams using two helicopters, house clearance and room intervention drills, hostage rescue, IED detection by army dogs, neutralisation of IEDs by bomb disposal team amongst other exercises were carried out.
Speaking to reporters at the end of the exercise Major General Sandeep Bajaj of the Indian army said that Sampriti-IX is an exercise carried out jointly between India and Bangladesh for operating in a UN environment under chapter VII.
“We have done all out drills to coordinate various inter-operatibility drills between our two countries in our chapter VII mission and it has been a great experience,” Major General Baja said.
He also hoped that both the contingents of the Indian and Bangladeshi armies have learnt greatly from each other.
“I am certain that both contingents will carry equal lessons back,” he added.
Major General Saif of the Bangladesh army said that the exercise is designed to develop the inter operability between the Indian and Bangladesh army to operate in a counter terrorism environment to neutralise any kind of terrorist threat.
He said that Bangladesh and India army are friendly armies and have had so many exchange of programmes even as he stated that this bonding is evident through history when India helped Bangladesh during its war of liberation in 1971.
According to Major General Saif, Indian and Bangladeshi armies are cooperating through this exchange of training administration and even for various ceremonial activities.
“This is one kind of engagement that we have in the series of Sampriti exercises this being the ninth,” he said.
Previously both India and Bangladesh had eight exercises with both countries hosting four each.
“Through this exercise both Bangladesh and India army has developed the inter operability through the exchange of the tactical drills and learning. We are confident to operate in any kind of counter terrorism environment understand UN mandate to operate together and to he come successful and confidently operate to neutralise any threat,” Major General Saif said.
In the current exercise there are 150 participants from the Indian and the Bangladesh armies each took part in the 14-day counter-terrorism training in a mountainous and jungle terrain under the UN mandate.
Troops from the Bihar regiment from Indian Army and 42 Infantry Regiment of the Bangladesh army would be taking part in the exercise.
The exercise is part of the ongoing Indo-Bangladesh defense cooperation. Exercise Sampriti is important bilateral defense cooperation between India and Bangladesh and will be the ninth edition of the exercise.
Apart from bilateral military training, the exercise is being conducted to understand each other at the tactical level, greater cultural understanding, to further strengthen military trust and cooperation between the two nations.
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