South Korean and U.S. soldiers staged a combined anti-terrorism exercise near the inter-Korean border earlier this week, the Army said Saturday, amid joint efforts to strengthen operational capabilities.

The exercise, involving some 80 military police personnel from the Army’s 6th Infantry Division and the Eighth U.S. Army, took place Monday at Rodriguez Training Center in Pocheon, about 30 kilometers south of the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas.

During the training, the two sides worked together to search and clear buildings, rescue hostages, and locate and overpower terrorists, according to the Army.

It said the drills took place with a focus on enhancing the troops’ capabilities in anti-terrorism operations in urban environments through team-level close-quarters combat training.

“Based on the practical knowledge shared by the U.S. military police unit through this combined exercise, we will take the lead in protecting lives without hesitation in a terror situation,” a South Korean Army officer, who took part in the exercise, was quoted as saying.

Source: Yonhap News Agency