Exercise Khanjar: India–Kyrgyzstan joint special forces drill begins in Assam

The joint annual special forces exercise ‘Khanjar’ between India and Kyrgyzstan began on Wednesday at Missamari in Assam, according to an official statement by the Ministry of Defence.The exercise, scheduled to run from February 4 to February 17, involves a 20-member contingent from the Indian Army’s Parachute Regiment (Special Forces) and an equally sized team from Kyrgyzstan’s ILBRIS Special Forces Brigade."Aim of the exercise is to exchange best practices and experiences in Counter Terrorism and Special Forces Operations in urban and mountainous terrain. The exercise will also focus on developing advanced Special Forces skills of sniping, complex building intervention and mountain craft," the statement read.The exercise highlights the shared commitment of India and Kyrgyzstan to promoting peace, stability and security in the region."The exercise aims to enhance interoperability between the special forces of both nations, with a focus on joint operations in urban warfare and counter-terrorism scenarios under the United Nations mandate," a senior official was quoted as saying by PTI.Since its inception in 2011, Exercise Khanjar has developed into an annual bilateral training engagement. The previous edition of the India–Kyrgyzstan joint exercise was held in Tokmok, Kyrgyzstan, in March 2025.India–Kyrgyz relations have expanded in recent years across multiple areas of bilateral engagement, including defence, security, trade and investment, with both countries sharing common concerns over terrorism, extremism and drug trafficking, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.Key pillars of defence cooperation between India and the Kyrgyz Republic include the training of Kyrgyz personnel at Indian defence institutions, regular joint military exercises, exchange programmes, and collaborative research at the Kyrgyz–India Mountain Bio Medical Research Centre (KIMBMRC) in Bishkek.