BISHKEK, May 15. /ITAR-TASS/. Command and staff anti-terrorist drills began in the city of Kant situated in Chuy Region of the Central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan on Thursday. Officers of the anti-terrorism center of the Kyrgyz National Security State Committee, Interior Ministry, Ministry of Emergency Situations, Defense Ministry, Health Ministry, officials of local authorities and company Gazprom Neft Asia, a Central Asian branch of Russia’s gas and oil giant Gazprom Neft, are taking part in the exercise, the public relations department of the Kyrgyz National Security State Committee told ITAR-TASS.
“The main goal of drills which are being held at an oil tank farm and at a Gazprom Neft Asia gas station is to drill actions of the operations headquarters in an anti-terrorism operation amid a real threat,” the public relations department said. Meanwhile, Kyrgyz law enforcers and employees of other republican agencies are coordinating their actions and effectiveness of mutual informing schemes in capture of strategic facilities by terrorist groups.
“At military exercises the release of hostages taken by imaginary terrorists will be also drilled,” the national security state committee said, noting that “sequence of actions of local informing agencies of international anti-terrorist structures will be assessed in view of a real threat.” The Kyrgyz security committee also named as one of top priorities of these war games expansion of experience of the security committee’s anti-terrorist centre in the fight against terrorism and extremism. “All skills drilled today seek to build up combat readiness of specific structures to fulfil tasks in the fight against international terrorism and prevention of emergency situations,” the country’s state security committee added.