Rostov-on-Don, Russia: The Russia-Pakistan exercise “Дружба 2018” (Friendship 2018) will be held at the altitude of 1.4 thousand meters above sea level in Pabbi district of Pakistan from October 21 to November 4.
According to the head of the press service of the Southern Military District, Vadim Astafyev, the joint exercise of the units of the armed forces of the Russian Federation and Pakistan namely “Дружба-2018” (Friendship 2018) will be held from October 21 to November 4 at the National Counter-Terrorism Center Pabbi in Pakistan, over 70 mountain shooters from Karachay-Cherkessia will take part in the exercise.
Karachay-Cherkess (Russian: Карача́ево-Черке́сская) is a federal subject (a republic) of Russia. It is geographically located in the North Caucasus region of Southern Russia and is administratively part of the North Caucasian Federal District.
According to Vadim Astafyev, the military of the two countries will perform tasks at an altitude of 1.4 thousand meters above sea level. They will, including the destruction of conditional fighters (terrorists).
Astafyev reminded that the “Friendship” exercises have been held since 2016. In 2017, more than 200 soldiers took part in them. The maneuvers were conducted in the North Caucasus at an altitude of up to 2.3 thousand meters above sea level.
According to Defence Ministry of Russia, supposed enemies will be militants and terrorists hiding in the mountains in this mock kind of exercises.
It is worth noting that the Pakistani military has a lot of experience in confronting terrorism, which reached a terrifying scale in this country and Pakistan Army successfully terminated terrorists in special action namely “Zarb e Azb” operation that was launched in year 2014.
On October 2, terrorists blew up a military convoy in the south-west of the country and on October 17, 2018, kidnapped 14 Iranian border guards near Iranian-Pakistani border.
Russia offers support to Pakistan in its war against terrorists and transferred four Mi-35M transport combat helicopters to Pakistan as Pakistan was in demand during the antiterrorist operation.
