Pak-Russia mountain warfare exercise begins today

The two-week long joint military drill will come to an end on October 10.

A contingent of Russian ground forces arrived in Pakistan on Friday to participate the joint exercise between the two militaries.

According to sources, the military drills will start today at the Army High Altitude School in Rattu in Himalayan valley of Astore and at a special forces training center in Cherat area.

A contingent of 70 soldiers of the Mountain Mobile Brigade of the Russian ground forces southern command participating in the military drill, sources said.

The exercise is being seen as a demonstration of closer defence ties between the Pakistan and Russia after they signed a military cooperation pact in 2014.

In the joint exercise the two armed forces will exchange their experiences in the high altitude warfare and to learn from each other in counter-terrorism operations in difficult mountainous terrain, military sources said.

The fighting to get rid of the outlawed armed groups in difficult mountainous terrain will specially be focussed in the exercise, sources added.