Colombia army personnel stand guard at a checkpoint. AFP file photo for representational purposes.
Bogota: Over 300 United States troops will arrive in Colombia this week for joint counter-narcotics training alongside Colombian military forces, officials announced on Monday.
The troops will begin arriving Tuesday and conduct exercises between October 30 and November 11, Colombia's defense ministry and the US military said in separate statements.
The joint military exercises will involve 350 US troops alongside 400 Colombian soldiers, the US military said in a statement.
"The training is designed to counter regional threats, build partner capacity, and increase readiness," it said.
"Training scenarios will focus heavily on maritime interdiction, ground security operations, cyber defense, and interagency cooperation," as well as air medical evacuations, it said.
Colombia's defense ministry said in a statement that the drills will include neutralizing the deadly explosive-laden drones that are increasingly being used by Colombia's powerful armed groups.
The exercises will take place mostly at the Tolemaida military base, just over 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Bogota, it said.
Colombia is part of US President Donald Trump's Shield of the Americas anti-cartel alliance, made up of around 20 countries in the region.
