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Military drills

Post-Soviet military bloc conducts joint anti-terror drills in Kyrgyzstan

The Frontier-2016 drills involve several hundred modern motor and armored vehicles, more than 20 fighter and military transport aircraft

© EPA/IGOR KOVALENKO

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Post-Soviet military bloc drills

BISHKEK, October 4. /TASS/. About 1,000 military servicemen and several hundred military vehicles are involved in joint tactical training exercises conducted by the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in Kyrgyzstan, the country’s General Staff said in a statement on Tuesday.

According to the General Staff, the exercises dubbed Frontier-2016 are being held at the Edelweiss mountainous shooting range. The CSTO’s Central Asian rapid deployment forces are taking part in the military drills. "The drills will last until October 7, they involve servicemen and military hardware from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia as well as the personnel of Kyrgyzstan’s Interior Ministry and Emergencies Ministry," the statement says.

The General Staff also said that the drills are aimed at "improving the cohesion of the Central Asian rapid deployment forces command" while preparing a joint anti-terrorist operation and "managing the troops’ control and command during the operation."

"The Frontier-2016 drills involve several hundred modern motor and armored vehicles, more than 20 fighter and military transport aircraft," the statement added.

"Though such drills, our countries’ military personnel boost cohesion and command readiness, gain practical experience in conducting anti-terrorist operations and develop their field training capabilities. Apart from that, they train to make and implement collective decisions on using the forces and resources of the collective security system," Kyrgyzstan’s First Deputy Chief of the General Staff Colonel Kubanychbek Orozmatov said.

The CSTO includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russian and Tajikistan.

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