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India and Kazakhstan Begin Ninth Edition of Exercise KAZIND-2026 at Oskemen

28 September 2026National

A 60-member Indian Armed Forces contingent departed for Oskemen, Kazakhstan, for the ninth edition of the India–Kazakhstan joint military exercise KAZIND-2026, held from 28 September to 11 October 2026. The Indian side is drawn mainly from a battalion of the Garhwal Rifles, with personnel from other arms, services and the Indian Air Force; Kazakhstan fields a contingent of matching strength, largely from its Land Forces. Training focuses on joint counter-terrorism operations in semi-urban and mountainous terrain under a United Nations mandate, with emphasis on joint planning and execution, air mobility, and the integrated employment of unmanned aerial systems and counter-UAS capabilities.

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Kazakhstan's capital is Astana and its currency is the Tenge | KAZIND began in 2016 as 'Exercise Prabal Dostyk' and was renamed KAZIND from 2018 | Both India and Kazakhstan are members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

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