Aiming at sharpening their counter insurgency skills and enhancing training
infrastructure for UN peacekeeping missions, Mongolian Army will participate in
joint exercises with its Indian counterpart at Belgaum in Karnataka from August
6.

The Mongolian Army will be represented by 38 personnel and for over 10 days
they will participate in several counter insurgency and counter terrorism operations
in Belgaum, Army officials said here.

Codenamed as “Nomadic Elephant”, the exercise will focus specially on the
needs of peacekeeping missions under the UN flag and will help in increasing
the coordination and understanding between troops of the two nations, they
said.

The infantry exercise will see
participation of 44 specially selected troops from the Jat Regiment.

Besides the UN peacekeeping
missions, the eighth round of joint exercise will also aim at conducting
special sessions to modernise Mongolian defence establishment.

Defence cooperation and relations
between the two nations have seen a steady growth over the last decade with the
first joint exercise in 2004. For the last few years, the joint drills are
being held every year, officials said.

In 2005 the joint drills were held
at the Mizoram-based Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School (CIJWS) at
Vairnagte and in 2008 it was conducted in Mongolia.

Besides the joint exercises, the two
nations have also successfully been conducting visits and exchanges of senior
military officials.