More soldiers receive SIOC training

Five Officers and seventy six soldiers after an intensive training spanned over three months completed the sixth Special Infantry Operational Course (SIOC) at Jaffna and passed out recently at a ceremony held in Vasavillan Teachers\' College Grounds.

Major General M.D.S. Chandrapala, Security Forces Commander Jaffna, taking the salute at the graduation ceremony, stressed the importance of using what they learnt in the course to take the enemy on while safeguarding the reputation of the Army, and in the same vein, he urged them not to utilize their expertise for any anti-social activities.

This sixth batch of trainees, selected out of many hundreds of Officers and soldiers from Infantry Units presently deployed in Jaffna, was given training on different fields such as signals, medicine, engineering and artillery at respective military establishments and training centers in the island.

Special Infantry Operational Course (SIOP) was introduced in order to build confidence among soldiers to face any adverse situation and simultaneously to boost their morale.

Division Commanders, Brigade Commanders and Senior Officers and Other Ranks from Regiments belonging to those who passed out on this occasion attended the graduation ceremony.