A current Indo-US joint exercise has for the first time included “Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) terror response” in its drill as chemical and biological warfare are now recognised as a growing threat to the world, say reports. The National Security Guard (NSG) and US Special Operations Forces (SOF) exercise, dubbed TARKASH, took place recently in Chennai.
Last year, Russia had alleged that Ukraine used chemical weapons in the disputed Kharkiv region to pin the blame on Russia and get Western aid money.
“The Joint Exercise, for the first time, simulated a validation exercise for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) terror response mission. During the mock validation exercise, a terrorist organisation armed with chemical agents threatened to attack a convention hall during an international summit. The objective of the joint exercise by NSG and US (SOF) teams was to rapidly neutralise the terrorists, rescue the hostages safely and deactivate the chemical weapons being carried by the terrorists,” an official related to the exercise was reported as saying.
Among the several anti-terror drills conducted during the Chennai exercise, a drill to prevent terrorist chemical and biological assaults was also included. According to sources, the simulation included the successful deployment of a small team by IAF helicopters to the target area, intervention in a big auditorium, hostage rescue, and neutralisation of the chemical agent weapon.
CBRN are also categorised under the weapons of mass destruction that have already been employed by some governments and terrorist organisations in the past. The most recent CBRN assault, which involved a sarin gas attack, claimed more than 100 lives in Syria in 2017.
The possibility of non-state actors, such as terrorists and those who assist them, obtaining access to and utilising WMDs or CBRNs poses a “severe threat to world peace and security,” according to the UN.
