Russian troops arrive in Pakistan for "Friendship 2016" joint drill

BELGRADE - Russian troops have arrived in Pakistan on Friday to take part in two-week military exercise, a first in the two countries' modern history. Moscow and Islamabad were on opposite sides during the Cold War.

Around 70 Russian soldiers and officers along with some 130 Pakistani counterparts are taking part in the war games called Friendship 2016, which kick-start on Saturday. The name is a symbolical reference to the old Cold War tensions between Moscow and Islamabad, which the two capitals are now trying to overcome.

On Friday, an Ilyushin Il-76 military transport plane delivered the troops to Pakistan from their home base in southern Russia.

The exercise is to take place in a mountainous area in the eastern Punjab province. Both countries have long experience of counterinsurgency operations in this difficult terrain, which they want to share with each...