Turkish forces take part in Pakistan-hosted naval drill

By Sertac Bulur

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish forces are participating in AMAN-2019, a multinational naval exercise that is being hosted by Pakistan from Feb. 8 to 12 in the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean.

AMAN is an Urdu word meaning “peace”, while the drills are being conducted under the slogan, “Together for peace”.

Organized by the Pakistani navy, the biennial maritime exercise kicked off in Karachi on Friday with the participation of forces from Turkey, the U.S., Britain, China, Australia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Oman.

In this year’s drill, Turkey is represented by the TCG Gokceada, a naval frigate.

The exercise is intended to improve naval coordination between participant states and promote maritime peace and stability.

The exercises will see a host of training activities in various fields, including search-and-rescue and anti-piracy operations.

The first AMAN drill was conducted in 2007. Since then, it has been held regularly every two years.

Turkish naval forces participated in the exercise in 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2017.

The TCG Gokceada will also provide support to the Combined Task Force (CTF-151) in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, North Arabian Sea, Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean.

The CTF-151 is a multinational naval task force established in 2009 to fight piracy in the region.