CALCUTTA, India, Nov 6, SPA -- The U.S. and Indian air forcesbegan joint exercises Monday at a base in eastern Indiaamid protests by tens of thousands of people who object tocloser military ties with Washington. Tight security blocked an estimated 70,000 supporters ofthe state's governing communist coalition who gatheredoutside the Kalaikunda Air Base, where the 12-day exercisesbegan, police said. "The situation, however, is peaceful and no untowardincident has been reported so far," the Associated Press quoted regional policesuperintendent, Ajay Nand as saying. A full squadron of U.S. F-16 fighters along with at leastone Airborne Early Warning and Control System plane weretaking part in the maneuvers for the first time, the IndianDefense Ministry said. "The primary objective of such exercises is tofamiliarize with each other's operational, technical andadministrative practices," the ministry said in astatement.--SPA1339 Local Time 1039 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/301010