India, Seychelles troops begin joint military exercise ‘Lamitiye’

New Delhi: A tri-service contingent of the Indian armed forces is taking part in a joint military exercise with troops of Seychelles from March 9-20, aiming to enhance synergy and interoperability between the two sides, the defence ministry said on Monday.

Exercise Lamitiye will be conducted at the Seychelles Defence Academy.

"This edition marks a significant milestone with the participation of all three services of the Indian armed forces. The contingent comprises personnel from the Assam Regiment, and participation from the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force, including INS Trikand and a C-130 aircraft," the ministry said in a statement.


The Indian contingent have arrived in Seychelles to participate in the 11th edition of the joint exercise with Seychelles Defence Forces (SDF).

The word 'lamitiye' means 'friendship' in Creole language.

Exercise Lamitiye is a biennial training event and has been conducted in Seychelles since 2001.

"The exercise will strive to enhance synergy in the domains of sub-conventional operations in semi-urban environment and cooperation and interoperability between both the sides during peacekeeping operations," it said.

It will also build and promote bilateral military relations in addition to exchanging skills, experiences and good practices between both the militaries.

"Both sides will jointly train, plan and execute a series of tactical drills for neutralisation of likely threats that may be encountered in semi-urban environment, while exploiting and showcasing new generation equipment and technology," the statement said.

The 12-day exercise will include field training exercises, combat discussions, case studies, lectures and demonstrations, culminating with a validation exercise spread over two days.

"The exercise will contribute immensely in developing mutual understanding and magnify jointness between the troops of both the nations," it said.