Troops warm up in Leh, exchange combat skills

The US troops say the exercises here will be of great help to them when they are involved in operations in places like Tora Bora with similar terrain.

‘‘In Alaska, there is pine-like vegetation which gives enough scope for a climbing soldier to hide from the enemy perched at the top. As you can see, here in Leh, the mountain cliff is clean and is therefore not only difficult to climb but one has to hide in cracks to catch the enemy’s eye,’’ says Eric, an American soldier. The exercises have also given the Indian troops the opportunity to learn about surveillance and reconnaissance.

‘‘They can’t match us at the ground level. But one thing where we find them superior is the infrastructure they have to conduct recce of the area or take surveillance measures before launching the final assault,’’ says an Indian soldier who participated in the joint exercises.

Though Army officers maintain that the joint exercises are routine and a part of the increasing strategic inter-operability between the troops of the two countries, the people of Ladakh say the exercises are more political in nature

As many as 23 American soldiers and 25 Indian soldiers are undergoing training. The joint exercises will continue till September 24.