Central Asia outreach: Famed Indian battalion trains Uzbek troops for counter terror operations

In exercises that will span 10 days, battle hardened Indian troops are sharing experiences in tackling terrorist threats in a variety of scenarios, from dense jungle hideouts to cordon and search operations in villages and storming high risk buildings.

Exercise Dustlik, the second edition of drills with the Uzbeks, is part of a series of similar exchanges that India is accelerating with nations in the region and is of special significance given that the nation shares a border with Afghanistan and is vital for connectivity to Central Asia.

The final part of the exercise – called validations drills – is likely to be attended by the Deputy Defence Minister of Uzbekistan, underscoring the growing military ties India is developing in a region that has a strong Chinese influence. Similar exercises are planned this year with Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Mongolia and training of Turkmenistan special forces is already underway in India.

“India and Uzbekistan have very good relations, that even date back in history. We shared a lot of good practices in the last edition of Dustlik when Indian soldiers came to our country and the main goal is to train for operations against terrorists,” Colonel Namilov Azizbek Boxriddinovich, the Uzbek delegation leader said.

The Army’s 13 Kumaon regiment, given the title of bravest of the brave for various heroics over the year and is most famous for the battle at Rezang La in Eastern Ladakh where one of its companies stood up to an assault in 1962 to the last man, will also train with the foreign troops on special helicopter borne operations that involve rapid induction of soldiers into the battlefield.

“We are also showcasing our technological advancements in counter insurgency operations. They shared their survival skills with us. We are also sharing our weapons with them and at present they are learning firing from Sig Sauer rifles,” Col Amit Malik, Commanding Officer of 13 Kumaon Regiment said.

Besides soldering skills, the exercise is also showcasing indigenous military systems like ballistic protection helmets and targeting systems for training, supporting Indian ambitions of becoming a global player when it comes to defence exports. Uzbek troops are being given training on recently bought Sig Sauer 716 assault rifles at the Chaubatia range which is equipped with Smart Target System developed by Zen Technologies. The helmets, integrated with communications sets, worn by Indian troops have been developed by protection systems manufacturer MKU.