GUWAHATI, March 27: Indian and US troops geared up on Saturday to begin low-intensity combat games in the jungles of India's revolt-racked northeast, an army official said.

The exercises, code-named "War Rehearsal," were due to start this weekend and run until April 17 in Mizoram state and are aimed at giving soldiers skills to cope with unconventional warfare, commandant Brigadier B.K. Ponwar said.

The US infantry soldiers would be trained in unconventional battle tactics during the exercises organized by the Mizoram-based Counter Insurgency Jungle Warfare School (CIJWS) at Vairengte, he said.

"The motto of this institute is to fight a guerilla like a guerilla," Mr Ponwar told AFP by telephone from the school.

India's northeast is an ideal theatre for such exercises. It is home to some 30-odd rebel armies whose demands range from secession to greater autonomy and the right to self-determination.

Established in 1970, the CIJWS school is one of the world's most respected anti-terrorist institutions with troops from several nations being trained in counter-insurgency warfare.

The games will be held in Vairengte and surrounding areas with some 100 US infantry soldiers normally based in Alaska and 120 Indian troops participating, Indian officials said.

The exercises are part of increasingly close military ties between the United States and India which were on opposite sides during the Cold War.

Joint military exercises have expanded over the past two years with Indian troops also visiting the US for wargames in Alaska and elsewhere.

The "low-intensity conflict operations" would help the two sides build their skills in jungle terrain, a defence ministry statement said.

"Sergeants and US army officers will get first-hand experience from our instructors on dealing with low-intensity conflicts," said Mr Ponwar.

"They'll learn from us and then go back to their country and teach others in the US army how to deal with unconventional warfare."

He said the school has been attracting military cadets from across the world, particularly since the Sept 11 terror strikes in the US.

The school was set up after Indian soldiers suffered heavy casualties at the hands of northeastern rebels who were adept in hit-and-run guerilla strikes.

More than 50,000 people have been killed in the insurgency in the northeastern region since India's independence in 1947.-AFP