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US soldiers get training in India
The school at Mizoram's Vairengte is considered one of the world's most prestigious anti-terrorist institutions.
An Indian Army commander said soldiers from the US, Uganda, Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka are getting training in unconventional warfare as part of a six-week course at the Counter Insurgency Jungle Warfare School (CIJWS) at Vairengte in this northeastern state. The course began last week.
"The training is in full swing and the foreign soldiers are happy with the course. On completion, the soldiers hope to share their expertise on counter-terrorism and dealing with low-intensity conflicts with their colleagues in their countries," Brigadier Basant Kumar Ponwar, commandant of CIJWS, said.
Established in 1970, the school at Vairengte is considered one of the world's most prestigious anti-terrorist institutions with troops from several countries getting counter-insurgency trainings.
"The motto of the institute is to fight a guerrilla like a guerrilla," the commandant said.
The school at Vairengte attracts military cadets from across the world, particularly after the September 11 terror strikes in the US.
In 2003, a group of about 100 elite US commandos completed a three-week anti-insurgency combat training here.
The exercise, codenamed Balance Iroquois, saw personnel of the US Special Forces undergo an intensive exercise along with soldiers from the Indian Special Forces battalion.
