Indian and U.S. troops in joint high-altitude exercise

(29 Nov 2022)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Auli, India - 29 November 2022
1. Various of Indian army helicopter
2. Helicopter dropping troops on ground during the joint exercises
3. Various of Indian and U.S. soldiers during ‘jungle lane’ exercise in forest
4. Forest
5. Various of Himalayas seen from Auli
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Brig. Pankaj Verma, Indian army:
"We have exchanged our notes, leveraged on our experiences on U.S. technologies counter-U.S. technologies. We have identified certain skills, certain topics which were academic in nature and expert academic discussions were carried out in great detail. Overall, it has been a great learning experience. There has been sharing of best practices between both the armies."
7. Indian and U.S. soldiers participating in search operation at a house
8. Sign reading (English): "Kill house"
9. Various of soldiers during exercise
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Sullivan (only one name given), lieutenant in the U.S. army:
"We've been training with the Indian army for about two weeks now. We've been exchanging tactics and operations. It's been very interesting to see how we both operate, and the similarities and differences. It's been a phenomenal time. The Indian army has been a phenomenal host. We've had a great time here in the beautiful Himalayas.”
11. Various of Indian soldiers demonstrating unarmed combat as U.S. soldiers watch
12. Indian and U.S. army soldiers participating in joint exercises in a village
13. Trained dog dragging attacking 'rebel'
14. Various of trained dog taking part in exercise
15. Various of trained kite bird destroying drone camera
16. Various of U.S. and Indian soldiers participating in rock climbing exercises
STORYLINE:
Indian and U.S. troops on Tuesday participated in a high-altitude training exercise in a cold, mountainous terrain near India’s disputed border with China, at a time both countries are trying to manage rising tensions with Beijing.

During the exercise, Indian soldiers were dropped from helicopters to flush out gunmen from a house in a demonstration of unarmed combat skills.

Other drills involved sniffer dogs and unmanned bomb-disposing vehicles, and trained kites were deployed to destroy small enemy drones.

The annual drills took part around Auli, a hill station in the northern state of Uttarakhand.

The U.S. troops came from the 2nd Brigade of the 11th Airborne Division, and their Indian counterparts were members of the army's Assam Regiment.

India’s Defence Ministry has said the exercise will focus on surveillance, mountain-warfare skills, casualty evacuation and combat medical aid in adverse terrain and climatic conditions.

It will also include humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, and operations related to peacekeeping, it said.

The “Yudh Abhyas” exercise has alternated between the U.S. and India since it began in the early 2000s.

Earlier drills had taken place elsewhere in northern India, but this year’s exercise is being held only about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the Line of Actual Control, a disputed border that separates Chinese and Indian-held territories.

India and China fought a war along the border in 1962.

The latest dispute flared in June 2020, when at least 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese troops were killed in a brawl in the Ladakh region.

Some Indian and Chinese soldiers have pulled back from a key friction point but tensions between the two countries have persisted.

The exercise also reflects the strengthening defence ties between India and the U.S.



AP video filmed by Rishi Lekhi

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