Exercise Dustlik-2

• The second edition of India-Uzbekistan joint military exercise “Dustlik-2” started in Chaubatia, Uttarakhand.

Key Points

• Aim of the Exercise:
  • Counter Insurgency (CI) and Counter Terrorism (CT) operations in mountainous, rural and urban scenarios under the United Nations (UN) mandate 

About the First Edition:

• Took place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan in November 2019

Significance:

• Uzbekistan is important to India for security and connectivity to the Central Asian region and also Iran, it is also one alternative India has with respect to Afghanistan 
• Security concerns stemming from the conflict in Afghanistan is one of the major challenges for India’s involvement in Central Asia