RAWALPINDI – A contingent of Russian military Friday reached Pakistan to participate in historic “Friendship 2016” war games along with Pakistani troops.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the two-week-long military drills will start from September 24 and conclude on October 10. This is the first time when Russia has sent its troops to Pakistan for a joint military exercise.
Although the exact site of the war games has not been disclosed, the ISPR said the exercise will take place in mountainous terrain of the country.
Around 200 military personnel from both Russia and Pakistan will participate in the exercise which is expected to focus on military counterinsurgency operations.
Earlier this week, India filed a diplomatic plea with Russia seeking cancelation of joint military exercise in Pakistan. However, Moscow refused to accept the Indian request.
In January 2016, Oleg Salyukov, commander-in-chief of Russia’s ground forces, had announced that Russian army would conduct seven joint military exercises with the Vietnamese, Mongolian, Indian and Pakistani military.
The country also plans to hold joint military exercises with members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) as part of its regional military interaction.
