DUSHANBE, June 18, 2012, Asia-Plus – More than 350 servicemen and 50 armored vehicles of the Russian military base have conducted a 400-kilometer forced march from the Chorukh-Dairon training ground in Sughd province through the Shahriston and Anzob passes to places of the permanent stationing in central and southern Tajikistan, Dmitry Matushkin, an assistant to the commander of Russian military base in Tajikistan, told Asia-Plus Monday afternoon.
They participated in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) joint counterterrorism military exercise that was conducted in the Tajik northern Sughd province.
We will recall that five of the six countries in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) participated in the drills. Uzbekistan, the sixth member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, has declined to send any troops to participate in the exercises in Tajikistan.
Troops from China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan were involved in the drills, which were dubbed Peace Mission-2012.
The exercise included simulated combat maneuvers in both mountainous and desert terrain and a special combat operation against illegal militant groups.
Starting on June 9, the complete exercise involving more than 2000 military personnel, along with 300 armored vehicles, artillery, air-defense batteries, and 50 ground-support aircraft closed on June 14 with a final phase at the Chorukh-Dairon training ground featuring live-fire missions with ground-attack aircraft and combat helicopters.
It was the ninth joint exercise of its kind since the SCO was founded in 1996.
