DUSHANBE, February 20, Asia-Plus — 21 members from Tajik Ministry of Interior (MoI) and the United State Embassy’s Regional Security Office have completed the two week “Preventing Terrorist Attacks on Soft Targets (“P.A.S.T.”) counter-terrorism course this month, press release issued by the US Embassy on February 19 said. .
Dushanbe. Tajikistan. On February 8, Ambassador Tracey Ann Jacobson congratulated 21 members of Tajikistan”s Ministry of Interior and the United States Embassy”s Regional Security Office on completing the two week.
Participants learned how to identify “soft targets,” or public sites that terrorists might choose for attack, believing the sites to be less protected by law enforcement and more vulnerable to mass casualties and wide scale destruction. Participants also learned during the course how law enforcement structures could incorporate civilians in response to attacks to limit casualties and restore order.
The US Ambassador to Tajikistan, Ms. Tracey Ann Jacobson congratulated them on completing the course. She remarked at the closing that the exchange of information, law enforcement concepts, and equipment would enhance the security of both the United States and Tajikistan.
The course was the latest in a series sponsored by the embassy”s Regional Security Office employing law enforcement trainers from the State Department”s Office of Anti-Terrorism Assistance (ATA). Participants previously attended the “Vital Installation Security” course in 2006.
The estimated cost of the course was $200,000, which covered lectures, case studies, and visual aids as well as fieldwork and practical exercises. Course participants examined soft target vulnerabilities in Dushanbe and developed comprehensive plans to mitigate those vulnerabilities.
The ATA program has delivered many training activities to Tajik law enforcement and governmental officers, conducted both in Tajikistan and in the U.S. Since 2002, over 326 GOTI officials have participated in ATA-sponsored training activities at an estimated cost of over $6 million.
The Office of Antiterrorism Assistance (ATA) Program was established in 1983 and is part of the Bureau of Diplomatic Security in the U.S. Department of State. It is an essential U.S. Government (USG) mechanism for the provision of training, equipment, and technology to partner governments actively engaged in the War on Terrorism.”
