DUSHANBE, June 28, 2011, Asia-Plus — U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) William R. Brownfield is expected to arrive in Dushanbe today evening.
The U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe says that during the week of June 26 – July 2, 2011, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) William R. Brownfield is visiting Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Russia to preview the Central Asia Counternarcotics Initiative (CACI), a new initiative to improve the ability of Central Asian countries, in coordination with counternarcotics efforts in Afghanistan, to disrupt drug trafficking originating from Afghanistan and dismantle related criminal organizations.
From June 27 – 30, he is meeting with host government officials in Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan to discuss regional cooperation and the potential establishment of vetted investigative units/task forces that will increase institutional capacity building through effective investigation, prosecution, and conviction of mid- to high-level traffickers.
An important stop for Assistant Secretary Brownfield is at the Central Asian Regional Information and Coordination Center (CARICC) in Almaty, Kazakhstan, to discuss CARICC’s role in promoting regional law enforcement cooperation and intelligence-sharing in the fight against drug trafficking and how best to coordinate with the work of counternarcotics units in Afghanistan.
In Tajikistan, Mr. Brownfield will visit the Drug Control Agency (DCA) in Dushanbe to discuss current collaboration and the potential role of this agency in the Initiative. The Assistant Secretary will also visit the Tajik-Afghan border to dedicate a completed barracks facility at the Border Guard Detachment in Shouroobod and a reconstructed Border Outpost at Yakhchi Pun.
The INL-funded facilities will help Tajik border guards in their fight on the front lines to reduce the flow of illegal narcotics and enhance the overall security of Tajikistan”s border with Afghanistan.
At the conclusion of his trip, Assistant Secretary Brownfield will visit Moscow to meet with Government of the Russian Federation officials to consult on counternarcotics strategies in Central Asia and discuss how the U.S. and Russia can effectively cooperate to combat narcotics in the region, including through regional and multilateral organizations.
