Indian army contingent
The eighth iteration of the India-Sri Lanka bilateral joint exercise, Mitra Shakiti began in Amparai, Sri Lanka on the 4 October and will conclude on the 15 of October.
The exercise will include an all-arms contingent of 120 Indian Army personnel and a battalion from the Sri Lankan Army of equal number. The purpose of the exercise is to "establish closer ties between the military of both countries, improver interoperability and share best practices in counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations". The exercise is expected to be observed by the Indian Army Chief, General Manoj Mukund Naravane alongside accused Sri Lankan war criminal, Shavendra Silva.
Mitra Shakti, is a combined military exercise held between Indian and Sri Lankan forces, it is also known as the joint training exercise between India and Sri Lanka. The seventh exercise took place in Pune in 2019, the exercise is considered one of India's major transitional military exercises. The exercise which has taken place every year since 2012, the 2020 exercise was not conducted due to the pandemic.
Sri Lanka has continued its involvement with training programs abroad and expanded its military ties, despite a lack of accountability for rights abuses. Sri Lankan security forces massacred tens of thousands of Tamils during a military offensive in 2009, that saw the bombing of hospitals and other atrocity crimes.
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