India, Lanka joint military exercise to further promote synergy, interoperability: Indian Army

The joint 12-day mega military exercise between India and Sri Lanka will further promote synergy and interoperability amongst the two armed forces besides further strengthening the bilateral ties, the Indian Army said on Saturday.

The 8th edition of the Exercise #MitraShakti21 between the Indian and the Sri Lankan Army culminated at the island nation's eastern district of Ampara, the Indian Army said in a tweet.

The 12-day mega military exercise from October 4 to 15 began with a focus on enhancing counter-terror cooperation at the Combat Training School in the district.

''Besides promoting synergy & interoperability amongst the Armed Forces, exercise further helped in cementing ties between both the nations,'' it said.

On Friday, Chief of Army Staff Gen Manoj Mukund Naravane witnessed the culmination of the exercise and lauded the troops of both contingents for their high standards of training and professionalism.

Army chief Gen Naravane arrived here on Tuesday on a four-day visit at the invitation of his Sri Lankan counterpart Gen Shavendra Silva.

The exercise got underway with the participation of an all arms contingent of 120 Indian Army personnel, headed by Colonel Prakash Kumar.

The joint military exercise has been designed to enhance understanding of transnational terrorism, inter-operability skills, conduct of joint tactical operations, sharing of each other's best practices and experiences, the Sri Lanka Army said.

The annual training program, which has largely contributed to strengthening bilateral military cooperation, understanding, and bonds of neighborly relations between both services, takes place alternately either in India or Sri Lanka every year, it added.

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