TEHRAN — Iranian and Azerbaijani forces held a joint exercise this week within the framework of a military cooperation agreement signed last September, Iran's hard-line Tasnim News Agency reported.
According to Brig. Gen. Karim Cheshak, the Iranian Army's deputy commander for operations, the drills were aimed at boosting combating terrorism and organized crime while bolstering sustainable security around the Aras River, which flows between Iran and Azerbaijan as well as Armenia.
Conducted in Iran's West Azerbaijan province, the exercise engaged battalions of rapid-response special forces and comprised four stages, mainly focused on reconnaissance with drones and helicopters, parachuting on mock hideouts and ground chase and arrest operations. During the final stage, the Iranian and Azerbaijani forces launched heavy shelling before carrying out "terrorist cleansing" operations.
"Regional peace and stability is the main message of the exercise," the Iranian commander noted, adding that it allowed the two sides to practice sharing intelligence to fend off terrorist threats against common geopolitical interests in the South Caucasus.
