Aizawl: An Afghan contingent of 30 soldiers, including five officers, led by Capt. Juma Khan Emami, began training at the elite Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare (CIJW) School of the army at Vairengte on the Mizoram-Assam border from Monday, sources in the Assam Rifles said.

The training will continue till April 21.

Assam Rifles sources said the training was the 8th contingent in the series, showcasing the commitment between the two countries and armies.

The first contingent training of the Afghanistan National Army (ANA) was conducted in 2012.

Maj. Gen. M.S. Ghura, SM, VSM, Commandant of the CIJW School, spoke at the programme to kick off the training and expressed his confidence that this training would help the Afghan Army in successfully fighting the IS, Al-Qaida and Taliban.

The main objective of the tailor-made contingent training is to hone the Afghan personnel in the mechanics of conducting counter-terrorist operations at the tactical level in terrain akin to that of Afghanistan.

During the four-week intensive training, the Afghan soldiers will be trained in all aspects of counter-terrorist operations.

Special focus will be given on defensive and anti-IED operations keeping in mind the type of threats they face back home while combating terrorism, a senior officer in the Assam Rifles said.

The school has, over a period of time, created a niche for itself as being one of the most reputed training institutes in the world for imparting counter-terrorism training.

So far, more than 43 countries have subscribed to various courses or have undergone contingent or joint training at the school.

Joint training with the contingent of Kyrgyzstan is also currently under way in the school, sources said.