Dhaka, Apr 7: Multinational peacekeeping exercises kicked off in Bangladesh with troops from 12 countries participating in the U.S.-led drills, officials said.

Some 400 soldiers from nations such as India, Indonesia, South Korea, and Sri Lanka were taking part in the three-week exercises dubbed ``Ambassador of Peace.''

American Lt. Col. Edward Tanguy, commander of the 249th Regional Training Institute in the United States, said Sunday the drills will involve checkpoint and convoy operations, patrols, and search-and-disarmament skills.

``This exercise provides us the opportunity to exchange tactics, techniques and procedures at the tactical level with all the multinational forces,'' Tanguy told The Associated Press at the training site at Rajendrapur Cantonment near the capital Dhaka.

``Our goal is to enhance the readiness and interoperability of the Bangladesh Armed Forces, the U.S. Army and other multination participant forces,'' he said.

Many of the nations' soldiers participating have worked in relief operations after natural disasters struck their countries, and these experiences were valuable for U.N. peacekeepers, Tanguy said.

Bangladeshi soldiers were called in after a devastating cyclone last year killed about 3,400 people. Indonesian, Indian, and Sri Lankan troops helped out after the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami left more than 200,000 people dead.

S.M. Ziaur Rahman, Bangladesh's Air Force chief, said such exercises would create more confidence among soldiers contributing to U.N. peacekeeping missions.

Bangladesh is the second largest contributor of troops for U.N. operations with 9,856 soldiers. Pakistan tops the list with 10,610 peacekeepers and India is third with 9,357.

Troops from the U.S., Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nepal, Brunei, Cambodia, Mongolia, and Tonga will also participate in the ``Ambassador of Peace'' maneuvers.