NEW DELHI, Sept 6: Indian and British commandos are preparing for joint training in the Ladakh region of disputed Jammu and Kashmir, close to the border with China, Press Trust of India said on Thursday.

“Special forces from India and the United Kingdom will carry out high-altitude battle manoeuvres involving hits on terrorist mountain hideouts in joint exercises spread over 12 days in the frontier region of Ladakh, bordering China, from the month-end,” PTI said, quoting Indian army officials. It said 150 British Marine Commandos and an equal number of men from India’s elite special forces will be in action in “long endurance and survivability” manoeuvres in snow-clad heights.

The report came as India and the United States conduct naval exercises in the Bay of Bengal this week together with Japan, Australia and Singapore. The US ships belong to the armada operating in the Arabian Sea and the Gulf region. The Ladakh exercises would involve “classic commando’s action like surprise hit-and-run raid by self-contained small bands of troops operating at extreme heights of more than 3,500 metres,” PTI said.

It quoted army officials as saying the exercise reflected growing cooperation in the war against terror and “the thrust of the exercises would be to fine tune tactics against terrorists”.