Israeli Troops to Train Indians in Counterterrorism

By vivek raghuvanshi Published: 9 Sep 13:02 EDT (17:02 GMT)

from Defense News

NEW DELHI -India and Israel are drafting a roadmap for Israeli commando forces to conduct specialized counterterrorism exercises for Indian troops.

Israel's Army chief, Maj. Gen. Avi Mizrahi, and Indian Army chief Gen. Deepak Kapoor will finalize the details of the exercises during Mizrahi's Sept. 9-11 visit here.

A senior Indian Army official said that under the proposed agreement, a select group of Israeli commandos will train Indian troops at different unnamed locations in India, including jungles, mountains and highly populated urban zones. Without divulging specifics, the Army official said the Indian forces will undergo intense close-quarter operations training with the aim of learning how to kill insurgents or terrorists without harming the local population.

The plan calls for the Indian troops to have multiple training sessions on a regular basis, the Army official said.

Indian Army has also taken a keen interest in the homeland security operations, armaments and surveillance devices used by Israeli troops.

India is the largest importer of weaponry from Israel. Last week, India awarded a $260 million contract to Rafael of Israel for 36 Spyder Air Defense systems for the Indian Air Force

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