Turkish team clinches gold at Pakistan military games

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AA) - Turkey's military took the gold medal at the International Pakistan Army Team Spirit competition, the Pakistani army announced on Wednesday.

Apart from Pakistani military, Turkey, Russia, China, Belarus, Egypt, Germany, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, the Maldives, Palestine, South Africa, Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates, the U.K., U.S. and Uzbekistan participated in the three-day event that began on March 1 in the northeastern town of Kharian.

Pakistani Army Chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa attended the closing ceremony and distributed prizes among the winners and runners up, according to a statement by the Inter-Service Public Relations, the media wing of Pakistan army.

Turkey won the gold among international teams, while Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka and South Africa were awarded silver medals.

The military competition tests survival skills and physical prowess of participants over 62 hours in 25 field events.

In his speech, Bajwa congratulated the participants for successfully completing the event.

"Sharing of best experiences through this series of events will improve combat skills and help the integrate armies of participant countries," he said.

Senior Pakistani military officials and defense attaches from various countries also attended the event.