A rare war game will be held next month simulating a terrorist attack on Taipei, officials said yesterday.
Two military helicopters will enter the no-fly zone above the city for a scenario in which the city government is attacked and officials kidnapped.
Urging the public not to panic over the exercise, which is scheduled for Sept. 22, Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
The drill will see the Taipei City Government working with the defense ministry "to review how the capital can maintain its command should it be attacked by terrorists," an official said.
Military engineer troops will also rebuild bridges "destroyed" in the mock attacks, the official said.
However, the official dismissed reports that the drill would involve the world's tallest skyscraper, Taipei 101, saying construction of the 508m tower had not been completed.
Despite official insistence that the drill is not a preparation for war, it comes at a sensitive moment in the increasingly tense relationship with Beijing.
Officials have repeatedly warned of a possible blitz on the Presidential Office and other key government posts by China, modeled on the swift US military action that deposed former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein.
China, which according to some analysts has more than 550 missiles aimed at Taiwan, has been staging large military exercises on Dongshan island to prepare for conflict.
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