MANILA, May 18 (Xinhua) -- After 12 days of training, the U.S. military and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) completed on Friday this year's Balikatan military exercises.

About 5,000 soldiers from the Philippines, and 3,000 American troops participated in this year's drills.

The joint military exercises kicked off on May 7, aimed to hone their interoperability skills in fighting terrorism and humanitarian assistance, among others.

The annual Balikatan (Shoulder-to-Shoulder) exercises are the most comprehensive among several annual or regular U.S.-Philippines joint military drills.