Aizawl, Sept. 17: The third Indo-US joint military training has begun at the Counter-Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School in the picturesque Mizoram village of Vairangte.

Recognising that terrorism today demands greater awareness and newer strategies on the part of the forces out to counter them, the visiting troops said the skills imparted by the school would prove extremely useful.

Lt Peter Alimerez of the 1st Bn 294 Infantry, Guam, told reporters in Aizawl that the novel tactics and facilities provided by the school would give them an edge while countering terrorism.

?The facilities are top-notch and the tactics are new. The lessons are also very in-depth and they would certainly give an advantage when we need to carry out counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations,? Lt Almirez said.

The seven US army officers and 35 troops participating in the joint exercise with the Maratha Light Infantry will, in turn, don the role of trainers when they return home.

The joint exercise, codenamed Ex Yudh Abhyas, is aimed at enhancing understanding between the forces of the two democracies.

Brig. Rakesh Sharma, who took over command of the school on April 1, said the school had trained nearly 3.5 lakh army and police personnel since its inception in 1970. Of these, approximately 400 are foreigners belonging to 27 countries, including neighbouring countries and the African and American continents.

Personnel from Mongolian and Uzbek armies will come to this one-of-a-kind school for training later this year.

?Low intensity conflicts are becoming global in scope and the fight has evolved from the rural to the urban areas. In view of this, the school has adopted many tactics that would avoid collateral damage as far as practicable,? Brig. Sharma said.

Chief minister Zoramthanga, while addressing the troops of the two countries, said: ?I am not the competent authority to tell you how to conduct a military operation, but as a politician and as a former rebel leader for 20 years, I believe I have enough experience to know how to deal with insurgents and terrorists through the political process. In this system, we need to use the carrot and stick policy where we sometimes cajole these people and sometimes threaten them?.

Citing Manipur?s example, Zoramthanga said the Ibobi Singh government had not done enough to persuade its numerous underground groups to come overground and said the carrot and stick system needed to be applied more strictly in the state.

He said insurgents and terrorists cannot survive without people and so attempts should be made to isolate them as much as possible.