India, Seychelles joint military exercise begins tomorrow

NEW DELHI: The 7th joint military exercise of Indian Army and Seychelles People's Defence Forces ( SPDF) will begin tomorrow in Victoria.

The joint exercise -- Lamitye 2016 -- will be conducted at Seychelles Defence Academy ( SDA), Victoria till February 28.

SPDF will be represented by 20 personnel from Tazar (Special Forces Unit) and 32 from Seychelles Infantry. The Indian contingent will comprise an infantry platoon and representatives from the Special Forces.

India and Seychelles have been conducting joint drill since 2001 and 'Exercise Lamitye', which means friendship in Creole (local dialect), is conducted biennially with the aim of enhancing military cooperation and interoperability between the two countries.

The concluding phase of the drill, incorporating a tactical exercise, will be witnessed by senior military officers from both the countries who will review the standards of interoperability achieved by both the contingents.