RANGE EDELWEISS /Kyrgyzstan/, October 7. /TASS/. Military attaches of the U.S., China and India are watching a counter-terrorist operation at the drill of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) active phase in Kyrgyzstan, TASS correspondent reported on Friday.
"To the drill’s active phase we have invited representatives of the U.S., the Chinese People’s Republic and India," Deputy Commander of the Central Military District Yaroslav Roshchupkin said. "Representatives of the CSTO military-diplomatic representations are also watching elimination of the simulated enemy." The special operation features more than 1,000 servicemen from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia, more than 200 items of hardware - tanks T-72, BTR-80 armored fighting vehicles, Tigr armored cars, Grad multiple launch rocket systems and more than 20 helicopters and aircraft, including long-range aviation of the Russian Federation Air Force - Tu-22M3 and Tu-95MS.
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According to Kurgyz General Staff, the exercises dubbed the Rubezh-2016 (or 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 CSTO includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russian and Tajikistan.