surreal_dhongi

Indians, Americans continue wargames

SRINAGAR, Sept 13: US and Indian soldiers simulated mountain warfare on
Saturday as part of three weeks of military exercises in the occupied
Kashmir state.

Nineteen American and 31 Indian soldiers are participating in the exercises,
which began on September 5 in Ladakh.

"The goal is to increase the interoperability of American and Indian troops
and to optimize their commonalities," said Lt-Gen Arvind Sharma of the
Indian army.

The soldiers are simulating battle conditions in difficult mountainous
terrain, he said.

Soldiers dressed in full combat gear struggled to climb cliffs and jagged
rock-faces, rafted down rapids on the Indus River and carried out combat and
surveillance exercises.

The shortage of oxygen in Ladakh, 4,880 meters above sea level, posed a
challenge to the soldiers, Gen Sharma said, adding that the American
soldiers spent the first three days acclimatizing.

Ties between US and Indian militaries have improved since 2001, when
Washington lifted sanctions on New Delhi after India tested nuclear bombs in
1998.

The two countries have held three joint military exercises in India in the
past year. Indian soldiers and airmen also participated in training
exercises with US forces in Alaska last October. The current exercises end
on September 25.-AP