YEKATERINBURG, September 20. /TASS/. About 5,500 servicemen will take part in Peace Mission-2021, a counter-terrorism exercise of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to be held in the Orenburg Region in Russia’s southern Urals on September 20-24, the Central Military District’s press service said on Monday.

"Peace Mission-2021, a joint counter-terror command-and-staff exercise of armed forces of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s member states will be held at the Donguz training ground in the Orenburg Region on September 20-24," the press service said. "Overall, Peace Mission-2021 will involve about 5,500 servicemen and over 1,200 pieces of weaponry, military and special vehicles."

The exercises will involve servicemen from Russia, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

"For the first time, military units from the Republic of Belarus will take part in the drills," the statement says.

The servicemen will train counter-measures against new tactical techniques, currently used by international terrorist organizations, as well as anti-drone warfare and methods of preventing terror attacks involving the use of chemical and biological weapons.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization was set up on June 15, 2001. It includes Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Mongolia, India, Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan have the observer status. The member-countries conduct regular joint anti-terrorist exercises. The Peace Mission drills are the major maneuvres on the SCO territory, held every two years. The upcoming drills were originally slated for September 2020, but were postponed due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.