Kathmandu: The Royal Nepalese Army and a team of United States forces will carry out joint military exercises in Nepal beginning next week, according to the US Embassy in Kathmandu.

A team of the US Pacific Command forces have arrived here to carry out the month- long joint military exercises, Constance Colding Jones, the US Embassy spokesperson in Kathmandu said.

This is a regular joint military exercise between the two countries under a bilateral agreement, the kind that the US has signed with 25 countries in the South Asian and South East Asian regions and has nothing to do with Maoist insurgency, the spokesperson clarified.

The US Army has been involved in such joint exercises on a regular basis for the past seven to eight years with the objectives of enhancing the operational capability of the US Pacific forces, to improve their inter-operability with other forces and to enhance the tactical efficiency of the host nation, Jones said.

It is a training exchange between the two Armies and no high-ranking officials are involved in it, she said, adding that only a small number of US Army personnel are participating in the training programme.

The joint exercises, besides other things, will also include training on how to deal with medical trauma and emergency situations that can be useful in dealing with natural calamities.

PTI