India-Uzbekistan joint military exercise to be held from Apr 12-25

New Delhi: Troops from India and Uzbekistan will take part in a joint military exercise from April 12 to 25 to foster cooperation and enhance their capability to conduct combined operations in semi-mountainous terrain.

The Indian contingent departed on Sunday for the seventh edition of the India-Uzbekistan joint military exercise ‘Dustlik’, officials said.

The joint training will culminate in a 48-hour exercise aimed at validating tactical drills for joint operations, with a focus on the preparation and execution of special operations for neutralisation of unlawful armed groups, officials said.

The exercise will enable both sides to share best practices in tactics, techniques and procedures for conducting joint operations, and further strengthen interoperability, operational synergy and command-and-control coordination between the contingents, they said.

The drill is scheduled to be conducted at the Gurumsaray Field Training Area in Namangam, Uzbekistan, from April 12-25, they said.

Exercise Dustlik is a yearly event conducted alternatively in India and Uzbekistan. The previous edition was conducted at the Foreign Training Node in Aundh, Pune, in April 2025.

The Indian contingent, comprising 60 personnel, is being represented by 45 personnel from the Indian Army -- majorly from a battalion of the Mahar Regiment -- and 15 personnel from the Indian Air Force, the defence ministry said in a statement.