Afghans, Pakistan, US begin military exercise

ISLAMABAD (Reuters)- Afghan, Pakistani and U.S. troops
began two days of joint military exercises on Tuesday aimed at
better coordinating the hunt for al Qaeda and Taliban
militants, officials said.

It was the first time units from Afghanistan’s newly-formed
army had been invited to participate in the exercises, which
were to include a mock air assault.

Pakistan hosted the exercises, dubbed “Inspired Gambit 06,”
at the Pakistani commandoes training ground at Cherat, 105 km
(65 miles) west of Islamabad.

“The exercises have already started in Cherat,” Tasnim
Aslam, Pakistan’s foreign office spokeswoman, said at a weekly
news conference.

A Tripartite Commission meeting in Islamabad last month had
decided to include the Afghan army units in the exercise for
the first time to improve coordination and communication
between the forces.