Pakistan, Afghanistan, US begin joint exercises
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Islamabad, May 3, IRNA
Pakistan-Joint exercises
Pakistan, Afghanistan and the US Tuesday began joint exercises at a military base in Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), officials said.
This is basically to promote greater coordination among the three countries, Foreign Office spokesperson Tasneem Aslam told reporters at her weekly press briefing on Tuesday.
She did not give any further details.
The exercises in the hilly Cherat area, some 30 kilometers northeast of Peshawar, the provincial capital of NWFP, will continue for 10 days.
The exercises, aimed at boosting cooperation to check the cross-border movement of Taliban members and militants, will also be conducted in different areas along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
The decision to hold the joint exercises, codenamed Inspired Gambit, was taken in the meeting of the tripartite commission of Afghanistan, Pakistan and the United states in Rawalpindi last month.
Sources said that some 1000 forces of the three countries are taking part in the exercises.
Afghan forces are taking part for the first time.
Afghan officials suspect militants are still crossing into Afghan territory from Pakistan's tribal region.
Pakistan says it has deployed some 80,000 soldiers along its borders with Afghanistan to check illegal cross-border movement.
It said on Tuesday that it had proposed to the Afghan government and coalition forces that mines be laid on the Afghan side of the border and barbed wires erected on the Pak-Afghan border to check the movement of militants.
2020/235/2321/1414
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