Guwahati, Sept. 16 -- Exercise 'Maitree', the annual bilateral joint exercise between Indian Army (IA) and Royal Thailand Army (RTA) commenced on Monday at the Foreign Training Node (FTN), Umroi in Meghalaya.

The aim of the exercise is joint training of troops in counter-terrorism operations in both jungle terrain and urban scenario. Exercise MAITREE - 2019 has been the face of long-standing bilateral ties between India and Thailand since 2006.

The 14-day exercise will be conducted under the framework of United Nations mandate.

Both contingents will share their valuable experiences in the conduct of counter-terrorism operations in the form of lectures, drills, demonstrations and skill-at-arms with an aim to refine tactics, techniques a...