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A massive Sri Lankan military exercise which has been underway for several weeks concluded with a multi-pronged assault on a beach in the North-East on Tuesday.
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During the staged assault, Sri Lankan troops stormed the beachfront at Arisimalai in Trincomlaee, whilst Sri Lankan navy craft attacked the shore and air force jets flew overhead.
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The exercise was a “multi-pronged attack on enemy hideouts,” said an official Ministry of Defence statement, with thousands of Sri Lankan troops participating. Fast Attack Craft, Inshore Patrol Craft, Fast Gun Boats and Landing Craft Utility from the navy accompanied troops, whilst MiG and K8 fighter jets, and MI -17 and Bell-212 helicopters and C-130 transport planes carried out manoeuvres.
Foreign service personnel from Bangladesh, China, India, Sudan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and the USA either directly took part in the exercises or observed them, added the military.
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As part of the exercises, taking places at various locations across the North-East, Sri Lankan troops also carried out “mock raid” where masked soldiers on motorbikes “captured enemy leaders alive and took them away to the operational headquarters”.
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A formal certification ceremony is set to take place later this week.