Russia, Pakistan military to hold joint drills

MOSCOW: Representatives of the armed forces of Russia and Pakistan have agreed to hold the joint drills "Friendship-2019" in Russia in early October, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday.

"The joint exercise will be held with the aim of exchanging experience between military personnel, developing and strengthening military and military-technical cooperation between the two countries," the ministry said in a statement.

Mixed special-purpose groups consisting of Russian and Pakistani military personnel will perform combat training tasks using Russian armament, it said.

The drills, to be held at the Molkino training range in the southern Russian Krasnodar region, will involve about 50 Russian servicemen from special forces units, the statement said, without mentioning the number of participants from the Pakistani side.