SYDNEY, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of elite Australian military and police personnel has conducted a large-scale joint training operation on the streets of Sydney.
The hyper-realistic exercise held at Sydney Olympic Park in the early hours of Friday morning was designed to "simulate terrorist scenarios" and focused on removing civilians from dangerous situations during an urban terrorist attack.
According to local television station Channel 9, officers were seen carrying firearms and medical equipment.
Part of a series of training exercise to be held over the coming weeks and months, the Australian Defence Force (ADF) said the drill will include military helicopters, watercraft, unmanned aerial surveillance systems, vehicles and military personnel carrying weapons and using blank gunfire and pyrotechnics.
"The training will be conducted during the day and night and involves responses to simulated terrorist scenarios at Defence sites and some civilian infrastructure across Sydney," the ADF said.
Early in December, authorities also plan to hold an amphibious version of the training exercise from the HMAS Penguin in Sydney Harbor, where officers will practice deploying from boats.
With Australia still on high alert following a terrorist incident three weeks ago where three people were stabbed on a busy street in Melbourne, the ADF said "training such as this helps ensure Australia remain among the best counter-terrorism response capabilities in the world."
