A multinational military patrol drill involving 20 countries kicked off in northwestern Pakistan Sunday, according to Anadolu Agency.

The opening ceremony of seventh International Pakistan Army Team Spirit (PATS) Exercise-2024 was held at the National Counter Terrorism Centre Pabbi, in Khyber Phaktunkhwa province, which borders neighboring Afghanistan, the Pakistani military said in a statement.

The 60-hour patrolling exercise aims to enhance military-to-military cooperation in a complex international security environment.

Apart from Pakistan, the other participants include the US, Bahrain, Jordan, Kazakhstan, the Maldives, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Türkiye, and Uzbekistan.

Azerbaijan, Belarus, China, Myanmar, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, and Oman will be attending as military observers.

The exercise, held annually, will "help hone basic soldierly attributes besides interoperability through sharing of innovative ideas and mutual best practices," said the statement.