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More than 30,000 people participate in anti-terrorist drills in Tajikistan

More than 200 units of aviation, heavy weaponry and armored vehicles will take part in the drills
Anti-terrorist drills in Tajikistan (archive) ITAR-TASS/Nozim Kalandarov
Anti-terrorist drills in Tajikistan (archive)
© ITAR-TASS/Nozim Kalandarov

DUSHANBE, August 17. /TASS/. Large-scale anti-terrorist drills have started in Tajikistan today with participation of aviation and armored vehicles, the country’s defense ministry told TASS on Monday.

"Units of security agencies participate in four-day maneuvers, together with reservists and representatives of civilian structures - a total of more than 30,000 people," the defense ministry’s press service said.

More than 200 units of aviation, heavy weaponry and armored vehicles will take part in the drills. A defense ministry spokesperson confirmed that weapons training exercises will take place at two military firing ranges, including near the border with Kyrgyzstan. "The plan of drills was approved at the beginning of the year and is in no way connected with a recent armed conflict on the border between the two countries," the press service noted.

The anti-terrorist drills will be aimed at "improving and coordinating activities of the country’s military agencies in case of possible threats, checking the readiness of operational and tactical units, boosting morale, mobilizing armed forces for holding anti-terrorist operation in conditions of flat terrain and mountainous area."

Tajikistan’s Defense Minister Sherali Mirzo is commander of the drills.