Exercise Shanti Prayas III, a military drill of the multinational armies contributing to the UN Peacekeeping mission, concluded at Birendra Peace Operation Training Centre in Panchkhal of Kavre on Monday.

A total of 1,135 army personnel from 28 countries participated in the two-week training jointly organised by the Nepal Army and US Army’s Pacific Command. It was the third military exercise of its kind held in Nepal.  The drill is organised on the rotational basis different countries contributing to the UN Peacekeeping mission every year aimed at creating a multi-national environment for the blue helmets who are deployed in war-hit countries across the world.

Various sessions of Staff Training, Field Training, Critical Enabler and Capability Enhancement were conducted during the training supervised by the national and international experts.

On the occasion, Minister for Defence Bal Krishna Khand congratulated the successful trainees, expressing belief that the expertise they have gained would go a long way in maintaining peace during missions in the war-torn countries. He also lauded the Nepal Army’s contribution to UN’s mission of global peace. So far 115,703 NA soldiers have been mobilised on 41 peacekeeping missions in various countries. Currently, 4,493 are working to maintain peace on 15 missions.

Chief of Army Staff Rajendra Chhetri said the training was a step forward in preparing the peacekeepers with new techniques and technologies while being deployed in the war-hit countries. “The UN Peacekeeping demands better cooperation and such drills are a platform to form a bonding,” he said.