Exercise Tarkash

16.05.2024

Exercise Tarkash

 Why in the news?   

         The India-U.S joint Tarkash exercise in conducting coordinated operations in urban counter terrorism contingencies  concluded in Kolkata recently.

About Exercise Tarkash:

• It is the seventh edition of the Indo-U.S. joint counter terrorism exercise. It is held between the elite National Security Guard (NSG) and the U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF) commenced on April 22, 2024.
• The previous edition of the exercise was conducted at Chennai in January 2023.
• Objective: The primary objective of the bilateral exercise is to build functional relations and enhance interoperability between the two special forces in conducting coordinated counter terror operations in urban counter terrorism contingencies.
• It is also aimed at improving bilateral cooperation between India and the U.S. in matters relating to combating terrorism, in all its forms and manifestations,”.
• “During joint exercise, both special forces conducted joint mock counter terror drills at multiple locations in Kolkata, to enhance interoperability and coordination between the two special forces.
• It also involved sharing best practices, tactics, techniques and procedures, over a wide spectrum of counter terror operations, in an urban environment including close quarter battle, building intervention drills and hostage rescue operations etc.

Key facts about the National Security Guard:

• Commonly known as Black Cats, the National Security Guard (NSG) is a counterterrorism unit of India which comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
• It was founded while following Operation Blue Star, on October 16, 1984, with the view of combating terrorist activities and protecting states against internal disturbances.
•  It was formalized in the Parliament of India under the National Security Guard Act 1986.
• It is a “federal emergency deployment force” designed to combat all aspects of domestic terrorism. As a special counterterrorism unit, it is intended for use “only under exceptional circumstances'' and not to perform “functions of a state police or other paramilitary organization.”
• They are trained to perform counterterrorism missions, including responding to abduction on land, at sea and in the air bomb disposal (IED search, detection and disposal), post-bomb investigation (PBI) and hostage rescue missions.

Some International conventions and treaties relating to terrorism:

• Tokyo Convention on Offenses and Certain other acts, 1963
• Hague Convention for the Unlawful Seizure of aircraft, 1970
• Montreal Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Civil Aviation, 1971
• Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Internationally Protected Persons, 1973
• Convention Against the Taking of Hostages, 1979
• Rome Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Maritime Navigation, 1988
• Protocol for the suppression of illegal acts for the safety of fixed platforms on the continental shelf, 1988
• Convention on the Marking of Plastic Explosives for Detection, 1991
• Convention of the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings, 1997
• Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, 1999

                                                                Source: The Hindu

Q - ‘Exercise Tarkash, a joint counter terrorism exercise is held between India and:

A.Japan

B.United States of America

C.United Kingdom

D.Nepal

Answer B