South African Special Forces, along with their Pakistani counterparts, were in Pakistan for a two-week exercise focused on counter-terrorism.

Exercise Iqbal-I was conducted from 15 to 27 October in Cherat, Pakistan, and consisted of two combat teams from the Pakistan Army Special Services Group and one team from the South African Special Forces.

Pakistan Army said that the Commandant Special Operations School attended the closing ceremony on October 27 as the main guest, and Colonel Solomon Lechoenyo from the South African Special Forces also witnessed the closing ceremony.

The Pakistan Army said the troops “demonstrated the highest standards of professional excellence during execution”, adding that the exercise aims to engage the historic army in military affairs as well as improve drills, procedures and techniques involved in counter-terrorism operations through joint training. among friendly countries.

Pakistan and South Africa maintain regular military engagements; for example, in August, Pakistan Air Force Chief Marshall Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu spent six days visiting his counterpart in South Africa. South African and Pakistani military representatives have made numerous visits to each other’s countries over the years; in particular, South African National Defense Force (SANDF) Chief General Rudzani Maphwanya visited Pakistan in July 2021.

In March 2017, South Africa and Pakistan signed an intergovernmental defense cooperation agreement that includes industrial cooperation. While the Pakistani army sends cadets to the Army College in South Africa, Pakistan has accepted South African officers for staff college training. Pakistan also trained South African personnel in special forces. The SANDF said around 40 South African commanders were trained in Pakistan in 2019. This included counter-terrorism training.