On Saturday, a joint three-week military exercise involving Turkish and Pakistani special forces ended.

A statement from the Pakistan Army said the closing ceremony of the ATATURK-XI 2021 drill was conducted at the Pakistani Special Service Headquarters in Tarbela, northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkwa Province, which borders neighboring Afghanistan.

The closing ceremony was attended by Inspector General Training and Assessment Lt. Gen. Syed Muhammad Adnan of the Pakistan Army and a high-level military delegation from Turkey led by Maj. Gen. Emre Tayanc.

The drill was attended by Turkish Special Forces and Pakistani military elite Special Services Group soldiers.

The focus of the exercise was counter-terrorism, close quarter fighting, cordon and search, rappelling, techniques of fire and movement, helicopter rappelling, compound clearance, hostage and rescue, and operations of free fall.In recent years, Ankara and Islamabad have strengthened security and military cooperation.

A contract with Turkish state-owned defense contractor ASFAT to acquire four Turkish-built MILGEM corvettes was signed by the Pakistan Navy in July 2018. Two corvettes will be constructed in Turkey, according to the proposal, and the next two will be built in Pakistan, which will also require technology transfer.

In October 2019, during a ceremony in Istanbul, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the then Pakistan Navy Chief Adm Zafar Mahmood Abbasi cut the first metal plate of the first MILGEM Ada class corvette.

Turkey is one of the world's 10 nations that can use its national capabilities to construct, design, and maintain warships.

Maritime Business World