Pakistan-Sri Lanka joint exercise Shake Hands-II concludes with focus on counter-terrorism

Pakistan and Sri Lanka on Thursday concluded a two-week joint counter-terrorism exercise in Tarbela, focused on enhancing counter-terrorism skills and strengthening their long-standing military relations.

According to an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement, the Pakistan-Sri Lanka joint exercise Shake Hands-II was carried out between the armies of both countries, focusing on counter-terrorism operations in Tarbela.

“The two-week exercise began on April 27 and concluded today. Combat teams of Pakistan Army’s Special Services Group (SSG) and Sri Lankan Special Forces participated in the exercise,” he said.

The statement further mentioned that the General Officer Commanding SSG attended the closing ceremony as the chief guest. Major General Ajith Abeyawardana of Sri Lanka also witnessed the closing ceremony.

“The troops displayed the highest standards of professional excellence throughout the exercise,” the ISPR statement added.

The ISPR also said that the exercise was aimed at honing drills, procedures and techniques involved in counter-terrorism operations through joint training, while reinforcing the historic military relations between the two friendly countries.

Pakistan’s armed forces regularly conduct joint exercises with foreign armies to exchange professional knowledge and strengthen combat readiness.

Last week, the Pakistan-Türkiye joint command and special forces exercise Jinnah-XIII was successfully carried out in Turkiye, focusing on counter-terrorism operations.

In April, Pakistan and Egypt began their joint exercise, Thunder-II, at the Cherat Special Operations School.

In January, the armies of Pakistan and the United States carried out a joint military exercise titled ‘Inspired Gambit-2026’ aimed at enhancing counter-terrorism cooperation between the two forces.