The Maldives National Defence Force has successfully concluded its “Ekuverin” (friends) military exercise with the Indian Army.

The two-week long eighth edition of the Indo-Maldives joint military exercise came to an end on Thursday in Belgaum of Karnataka State.

The MNDF was represented by a team comprising two officers and 43 personnel of different ranks, while the Indian Army was represented by three officers, three Junior Commissioned Officers and 39 of different ranks, from the Gorkha Rifles Battalion.

The two-week-long exercise saw soldiers sharpen their tactical and technical skills in the Joint Operations Centre at Belgaum.

The focus of Ekuverin is to acquaint both armies with each other’s operating procedures, in the backdrop of counter-insurgency and counter-terrorist operations in an urban and semi-urban environment under the United Nations charter, with the aim to enhance interoperability between the two armies.

The last edition of the exercise was held in L Kadhdhoo in December 2016.