The South Korean forces dispatched to the United Arab Emirates have conducted around 30 combined exercises with the local troops since the unit was first stationed in the Arab country five years ago as part of bilateral military exchanges, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Friday.

South Korea sent the 150-strong "Ahk" unit to the UAE in January 2011 to train special forces and conduct joint military drills there. The 10th rotating troops are currently in service in the UAE.

Since the deployment, the South Korean unit has conducted a total of 30 joint exercises with UAE troops across the Arab country, including the latest one which took place on Jan. 3 and lasted for 12 days, according to the JCS.

Special operations, anti-terrorism missions and cultural exchanges were part of the beginning-of-the-year joint drill, the JCS said.

On the UAE's part, the country is "actively" providing airplane, ship and automobile assets to support joint operations designed to improve both of the militaries' combat capabilities, the military noted.

"Unlike peacekeeping operations or other forces dispatched for multinational troops, the Ahk Unit is mainly aimed at military cooperation in non-conflict areas," the JCS said in a press release. "This kind of military collaboration helps further cement comprehensive and strategic partnership between South Korea and the UAE." (Yonhap)