By Zhao Lei
Troops from the People's Liberation Army participating in the "Peace Unity-2024" joint exercise in Tanzania have begun to carry out training to acclimatize themselves to the local environment, according to the PLA.
Infantrymen from the Chinese military started checking and surveying their drill zones at the Tanzania People's Defence Forces' Comprehensive Training Center in Mapinga of Bagamoyo District on Saturday.
They also conducted tactical training at the center over the past two days, using armed fighting vehicles and self-propelled assault guns transported from China, according to the PLA Central Theater Command.
The command said in a news release on Sunday that starting Monday, infantry troops from China and Tanzania are scheduled to perform joint command and tactical training.
The militaries of China, Tanzania and Mozambique will hold "Peace Unity-2024" joint exercise from late-July to mid-August, according to China's Ministry of National Defense.
With a focus on joint counter-terrorism operations, the trilateral exercise will be carried out both on land and at sea, aiming to enhance the participating troops' capabilities in joint counter-terrorism maneuvers, and deepen military mutual trust and practical cooperation. It will be conducive for the three countries to jointly safeguard regional peace and stability, Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesperson for the ministry, said at a news conference in Beijing on Thursday.
The Chinese forces in the Peace Unity-2024 consist of two groups: ground units sent by the PLA Central Theater Command and a naval flotilla sent by the PLA Southern Theater Command.
The ground units come from the 82nd Group Army, an information and communication regiment and a military hospital, including assault, reconnaissance, intelligence, special operations, information support and logistics elements.
They were carried to the African nation by China's Y-20 strategic transport planes and two Chinese Type 071 amphibious transport docks over the past 10 days.
The last batch of ground units arrived in the Julius Nyerere Airport in Dar es Salaam on Saturday and soon moved to the Comprehensive Training Center in Mapinga.
Meanwhile, the Chinese naval flotilla, composed of two Type 071 amphibious transport docks and a Type 052D guided-missile destroyer, arrived in Tanzania on Wednesday.
Together with naval units from Tanzania and Mozambique, Chinese sailors will take part in exercises including joint defense of port, counter-terrorism tactics, boarding and seizure operations, anti-piracy and joint maritime patrol tasks, according to the PLA Southern Theater Command.
