DUSHANBE, March 16, 2011, Asia-Plus — An article “US Special Forces’ Operations in Central Asia Keeping Islamic Militants in Check” by Deirdre Tynan posted on EurasiaNet.org on March 15 says US Central Command has confirmed that US Special Operations Forces have permission to enter Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan on a “case-by-case” basis when conducting counter-terrorism operations.
According to EurasiaNet.org, other sources say US Special Forces occasionally cross borders in “hot pursuit” of armed militant groups on the run from Afghanistan. “US Special Forces do not maintain a permanent presence in any Central Asian country, but they have the ability to carry out extended missions in the region, a US military source said.”
The article quoted Michael T. Lawhorn, chief of media relations at US Central Command, as saying that periodically they will have military-to-military cooperative events with our Central Asian partners. “Any entry into these countries of US Special Forces would be with the permission of the host nation and conducted on a case-by-case basis,” Lawhorn was cited as saying.
According to the article, a well-placed source told Eurasianet.org that last September, US Special Forces provided crucial tactical support in helping Tajik government troops repel an attempted Islamic militant incursion. “It’s hardly classified information, the Tajiks didn’t do it alone,” the source said. The skirmish left 20 militants and one Tajik government soldier dead, the article says. The militants had reportedly crossed the Panj River into Tajikistan from Afghan Kunduz province, after being forced to flee Afghanistan due to a security sweep carried out by the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).
According to the article, the framework for US Special Forces’ operations throughout Central Asia was established under an August 2009 directive issued by US Special Operations Command (SOCOM). As part of an “adjustment in regional orientation,” Special Forces’ 3rd Group was realigned to focus on Central Asia. The article says a spokesman for SOCOM confirmed that as of February 1, 2010, 3rd Group would “be prepared to conduct foreign internal defense and security forces assistance to assist partner nations improve their ability to provide for their own security in Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.”
The U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe promised to comment upon this information later.
