China, Pakistan to hold 1st counter-terrorism drills since 2019

ISTANBUL

China and Pakistan will hold their first joint counterterrorism military exercise in five years, the Chinese Defense Ministry announced Tuesday.

Codenamed Warrior-VIII, the drills will run from late November to mid-December and come amid heightened concerns over targeted attacks on Chinese nationals in Pakistan. They will focus on joint counter-terrorism clean-up and strike operations.

The two militaries will engage in multi-level training across various specialties and live troop drills simulating real combat scenarios.

The event is part of a broader effort to enhance practical military cooperation and the capability to tackle terrorism, according to the ministry.

The most recent joint exercise in this series took place in 2019, with this year's exercise marking the eighth between the two nations. The exact location of the exercises was not revealed.

In October, a suicide bombing in Pakistan killed three people, including two Chinese nationals, and injured 17 others. In March, an attack in northwestern Pakistan claimed the lives of five Chinese workers and their Pakistani driver.

Following these incidents, China dispatched investigators to Pakistan to assist in probing the October killings.

Earlier in the day, the Pakistani government approved a military operation against terrorist organizations operating in Balochistan province.

The operation will be launched against the organizations, which have been targeting local civilians as well as foreign nationals in an attempt to “scuttle Pakistan’s economic progress by creating insecurity at the behest of hostile external powers,” state-run media reported.