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Military drills

Russian-Pakistani military drills start in northwestern Pakistan

Joint drills are held at the special services training range the altitude of 1,400 meters above the sea level

© Denis Abramov/TASS

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ROSTOV-ON-DON, October 22. /TASS/. Joint Russian-Pakistani "Friendship 2018" military drills have started near the village of Cherat in Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province (around 100 kilometers from the capital of Islamabad), the press service of Russia's Southern Military District said on Tuesday.

Joint drills are held at the special services training range the altitude of 1,400 meters above the sea level. Around 200 servicemen, including 70 Russian mountain shooters, are participating in the drills. The military exercise is held in accordance with the plan on international military cooperation and will finish on November 4. The sides are practicing combat operations in the mountains.

"The aim of the military exercise is to exchange professional experiences and strengthen Russian-Pakistani military cooperation," the press service quoted deputy chief of staff of Pakistan's Ground Forces Gen. Lt. Syed Adnan as saying at the opening ceremony. The military official said that servicemen from Russia's Karachay-Cherkessia will work together with Pakistani special services units who have a 10-year experience in the fight against terrorism within the country.

From the Russian side, participants in the military drills were welcomed by commander of the mountain brigade from Karachay-Cherkessia Col. Oleg Senkov and military attache from the Russian Embassy in Pakistan.

The "Friendship" drills have been held since 2016. In 2017, over 200 servicemen took part in the military exercise held in the North Caucasus at the altitude of 2,300 meters above the sea level.

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Pakistan Military drills Russian Defense Ministry

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