Exercise SAMPRITI 2016 Kicks Off Between India and Bangladesh

Exercise SAMPRITI is a bilateral defense cooperation between India and Bangladesh, hosted alternately by both countries.

This year’s SAMPRITI, 2016 is hosted in the semi-mountainous and jungle terrain of Bangabandhu Senanibas in Tangail of Bangladesh.

Here are the key points of this exercise:

1. SAMPRITI 2016 is the sixth edition of this exercise. It is being held at Shaheed Salauddin Cantonment in Dhaka.
2. The Indian Army contingent is represented by a company of the Mahar Regiment, led by Col P S Sandhi. It consists of a troop strength of 120 soldiers.
3. The joint exercise SAMPRITI 2016 will simulate a scenario where both nations are working together in a counter insurgency and counter terrorism environment under the UN Charter.
4. The exercise curriculum is progressively planned where the participants will initially get familiar with each other’s organizational structure and tactical drills.
5. Subsequently, the training will advance to joint tactical exercises wherein the battle drills of both the armies will be practiced.
6. The training will culminate with a final validation exercise in which troops of both armies will jointly practice a Counter-Terrorist Operation in a controlled and simulated environment.
7. This 14-day long engagement will go on from November 5 to 18.

The first edition of the exercise in this series was held at Jorhat in Assam in 2010. Last year’s exercise, SAMPRITI 2015 was held at Binnaguri in north Bengal.