Indo-Nepal joint military exercise underway at Sailahandi

• India and Nepal on 6 March 2014 started a joint military exercise which will end on 18 March 2014. 
• This Indo-Nepal joint military exercise at Saljhandi in Rupandehi district of Nepal.
• Nepal Army Major General Victor SJB Rana inaugurated this two week exercise. 
• This exercise is named as Ex-Surya Kiran Drills VI.
• This excerise includes :                                                                   -250 personnel from Indian Army and                                  -200 personnel from Nepal Army.
• During the sixth Indo-Nepal war games that will end on 18 March 2014, the armies participating in will work to upgrade their practical and principle aspects of jungle warfare, anti-insurgency operations and rescue operations. 
• The exercise also includes a detailed training in organisation and conduct of disaster response, management and rescue operation. 
• The two sides will also share experiences on counter-terrorist operations.
• Similar such a joint exercise Ex- Surya Kiran-V (5th Indo-Nepal war games) between the two armies was held from 23 September to 6 October 2013 at Pithoragarh district of Uttrakhand in India. 
• This exercise was conducted with an aim at training troops in counterterrorism operations and enhancement of defence cooperation and military relations between the two nations.

Background of Joint Exercises between two countries:

• The joint training between the armies of the two countries started following an agreement reached during the 7th India-Nepal Bilateral Consultative Group on Security in 2011. 
• First two exercises of the armies (numbered 30 each) focused mainly on the jungle warfare and counter-insurgency operations at Vairangate in Mizoram and a similar school at Amlekhganj in Nepal. 
• In 2012 the level of the joint training was upgraded to company level (numbered approximately 120 people each). 
• The revision was based upon the experience gained in previous two exercises of 2011. 
• The aim of the two company-level joint training of 2012 focused mainly on counter insurgency and jungle warfare operations in hilly terrain in Himalayan region of India-Nepal border.