Jaipur, Feb 9 : The validation phase of first joint military exercise between the Indian Army and the Royal Saudi Land Force, named 'Sada Tanseeq', was successfully completed at Mahajan Field Firing Ranges in Rajasthan's Bikaner on Thursday.

The 12 days joint exercise, which began on January 29 and was to go on till February 9, aimed to achieve interoperability between the two forces and acquaint each other with operational procedures and combat drills under a UN mandate.

The Indian contingent comprised soldiers from the 20th Battalion of the Brigade of Guards and the Saudi side of 45 soldiers of land forces.

The exercise was conducted in two phases. The first phase focused on combat conditioning and tactical training, and the second phase culminated in physical exercises and validation.

Both the contingents jointly took part in the validation phase which included creation of temporary operating base, establishing an intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance grid, establishing a mobile vehicle check post, carrying out cordon and search operations in a hostile village, heli-borne operations, and conduct of house intervention drills.

The validation phase also witnessed platoon battle drills wherein firing from infantry combat vehicles and of various weapons took place.

This exercise has proved to be a harbinger for cementing ties between India & Saudi Arabia and forging a strategic relationship between the two.

The closing ceremony of the joint exercise will be held on February 9 to felicitate outstanding soldiers and to give an opportunity to both the contingents to reflect upon the lessons learnt.

During the exercise, both the armies shared valuable combat experience and best practices. Besides training, both the contingents also participated in a number of extracurricular activities including friendly cricket, basketball, volleyball, and tug of war matches.

The joint training has undoubtedly been an astounding success with significant milestones achieved towards building cordial relations between the two countries, Indian Army officials said.

/IANS