Phnom Penh : Cambodia has cancelled routine joint military exercises with the US for the next two years, an official said on Tuesday.

"Cambodia has cancelled the Angkor Sentinel exercise because the country will be busy with elections and anti-drug campaign," Xinhua news agency quoted Defence Ministry spokesman Chhum Socheat as saying.

He said the armed forces are needed to protect security and public order during the commune election in June and the national election in July 2018.

Also, the forces are required to join with national police in the six-month anti-drug campaign which started at the beginning of this month, he said.

Angkor Sentinel is an annual bilateral exercise between Cambodian and US military. It has been conducted seven times since 2010.-Agency