DUSHANBE, April 11, 2013, Asia-Plus – U.S. Ambassador to Tajikistan Susan M. Elliott and the United States Embassy in Dushanbe’s Office of Military Cooperation (OMC) donated vehicles and equipment worth over $2 million to Tajikistan’s Border Guard on Tuesday, April 9.
This equipment will enhance the Border Guard’s ability to keep the country’s borders secure and was funded by U.S. Central Command’s (CENTCOM) Counternarcotics Program.
According to the U.S. Embassy, Ambassador Elliott participated in the donation ceremony in Dushanbe and remarked that “the United States Government shares the goals of the Government of Tajikistan to combat the threat of narcotics and contraband trafficking. Keeping Tajikistan’s borders secure is a priority with important regional implications. The Border Guards have a difficult mission as the first line of defense for Tajikistan against external threats, and often have to undertake critical missions with limited resources in difficult terrain.”
Tuesday’s donated equipment included twenty All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs), ten snowmobiles, six hundred and fifty Motorola radios, three hundred solar power systems, forty four computer kits, and tactical individual protective gear to the Government of Tajikistan. The ATVs and snowmobiles will be distributed to border posts throughout Tajikistan to assist Border Guard units in their efforts to combat narcotics and contraband from entering and transiting the country. The communications, computers, and tactical equipment will also benefit Border Guard detachments, outposts, and units, increasing their ability to secure Tajikistan’s borders from external threats.
These vehicles and equipment are part of the many assistance projects the U.S. Embassy implements in Tajikistan on behalf of the American people. Since 1992, the American people have provided more than $1 billion dollars in assistance programs that support the economic growth, democratic institutions, health care, education and security systems of Tajikistan. The U.S. Embassy will continue to support the Border Guards through a partnership between U.S. and Tajik agencies in order to provide enhanced equipment, training and infrastructure improvements.
