SEOUL, 28 Feb. (Yonhap) — South Korean and U.S. special operations forces are conducting combined drills amid tensions over North Korean missile launches, the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul said Tuesday.
The Teak Knife exercise was launched earlier this month at Camp Humphreys and US Forces Korea (USFK) Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, 65 kilometers south of Seoul, officials said. The exercise is expected to continue until early next month.
The exercise aims to train special operations forces in the infiltration of enemy territories, including close air support, hostage rescue, humanitarian crisis response and other operations.
A US AC-130J aircraft, used to provide fire support to special operations forces, would take part in the exercise.
Both sides are expected to make the drills public, sources say.
The Allies have conducted Exercise Teak Knife regularly since the 1990s, mostly behind closed doors.
Last September, the USFK Special Operations Command in Korea revealed that it conducted the exercise amid North Korean missile launches at the time.
This file photo, provided by US Special Operations Command Korea, shows US military personnel performing the Teak Knife exercise at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 65 kilometers south of Seoul, on September 13, 2021. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
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