US, South Korea, UAE hold trilateral combat drills for 1st time in Seoul

ANKARA

The US, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) launched a joint combat military exercise at a high-tech training facility in South Korea for the first time, local media said on Thursday.

Some 3,000 troops from three countries taking part in the 11-days joint exercise which underway in the Korea Combat Training Center (KCTC), a facility employing advanced technologies for realistic ground drills, in the mountainous county of Inje, Seoul-based Yonhap News reported.

"The training has served as an opportunity to enhance trilateral military exchanges and cooperation," the agency quoted South Korean army official as saying.

During the ongoing drills, some 200 pieces of combat equipment, including K1E1 tanks, K200 armored vehicles and K55A1 self-propelled howitzers from the South Korean side, as well as US Gray Eagle drones, Black Hawk choppers and Stryker armored vehicles have been mobilized.

Last month, South Korea, the US and Japan also held their first trilateral multi-domain military drill, which included cyber training.

The drill comes amid increasing rival military activities on the Korean Peninsula where the divided Seoul and Pyongyang are strengthening alliances with Western powers as well as Russia.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid