Curtains Down on Saliyapura Keterians’ First FTX, ‘Shake Hands-1’ with High Commissioner & Army Chief

The awarding ceremony of the Army’s joint Field Training Exercise (FTX), ‘Shake Hands-1’ that was rehearsed almost two weeks (16-31 March) in the Gajaba Regiment (GR) Regimental HQ at Saliyapura with soldiers of the Pakistan Army brought the curtains down on the newest FTX during a formal closing ceremony, graced by Major General Senarath Bandara, Chief of Staff as the Chief Guest on Wednesday (31).

Director General Infantry, Major General Thilak Hangilipola, Exercise Director, Brigadier Sanjeewa Fernando, together with representative Commanding Officers of both Pakistan and Sri Lanka Army contingents welcomed the day’s Chief Guest and other distinguished guests on arrival at Saliyapura and ushered them to the location in a brief procession.

Symbolizing long-standing bilateral and friendly relations between both countries and military organizations, the FTX the novel and maiden exposure for ‘Keterians’ inside their forte, effectively provided fairly realistic scenarios and situations with special focus on all forms of tactical level military operations. The FTX enthusiastically rehearsed internal security (IS) strategies and counter-revolutionary warfare (CRW) tactics, joint military offensives against terrorism extremism, survival and tracking, mock attacks on terrorist hideouts, identification of suicide bombers and explosives, intelligence collection in counter terrorist environment, reconnaissance on insurgents, execution of attacks, etc during the period.

The day’s Chief Guest afterwards distributed certificates of participation to all troops, along with the souvenirs before the vote of thanks was proposed by Exercise Director, Brigadier Sanjeewa Fernando. Group photographs afterwards added memories to the closing ceremony of the Exercise where both Pakistan and Sri Lankan troops exchanged compliments and gestures of goodwill and brotherhood.

Major General Sena Waduge, Commander, Army Training Command (ARTRAC), Major General Hemantha Bandara, Commander Security Forces - Wanni, Major General Vikum Liyanage, General Officer Commanding, 21 Division, Senior Officers, Officers and Other Ranks were associated with the event.

Six Officers and 35 Other Ranks of the Pakistan Army and 4 Officers and 40 Other Ranks of the Sri Lanka Army constituted the ‘Shake Hands-1’, organized by the Directorate of Infantry of the Sri Lanka Army in close collaboration with the GR Regimental Centre.

Actively contributing Gajaba Regiment troops, along with Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment troops as observers on Wednesday (30) participated in the mock attack on the enemy hideout as the final segment of the FTX after a close reconnaissance move in a hypothetical counter terrorist milieu before they swooped on the terrorist hideout. Sports News | Best Nike Air Max Shoes 2021 , Air Max Releases and Deals