KARACHI, July 2: The Pakistani and Turkish naval forces conducted joint anti-submarine exercise off the Karachi port on Friday, a senior official of the visiting Turkish Maritime Task Group (TMTG) said.

“Almost every year Pakistani and Turkish army, navy and air force conduct joint exercises in their respective countries,” the official told journalists on board 'TCG Barbaros' at the PN Dockyard.

Three Turkish frigates and a logistics support vessel which had left a southwestern Turkish naval base on May 30 as part of a mission to fight piracy in international waters, are currently visiting Karachi and scheduled to depart on Monday. Frigates TCG Barbaros, TCG Gemlik, TCG Gelibolu and logistics support vessel TCG Yarbay Kudret Gungor, sailed from Aksaz Naval Base in Marmaris on May 30 to participate in international efforts to fight piracy in the Gulf of Aden, off the coast of Somalia and in the Arabian Sea.

To counter the threats against global security, to meet new security challenges and to demonstrate the Turkish Navy's capability to remain deployed for prolonged periods, the TMTG is activated every year. It also supports the ongoing Nato and UN operations worldwide.

TMTG official said Turkish Naval Forces contributed to counter-piracy operations between 2009 and 2011 with seven ships. “The objective is to facilitate international effort to provide protection to merchant vessels transiting the Gulf of Aden, off the coast of Somalia and in the Arabian Sea,” the official said.—PPI