CSTO holds military drills near Afghan-Tajik border

2021-10-19 03:35:58 GMT2021-10-19 11:35:58(Beijing Time) Xinhua English

DUSHANBE, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) on Monday held its joint military drills at Kharbmaidon training ground in Tajikistan near the border with Afghanistan.

Three operations, dubbed "Echelon-2021", "Search-2021" and "Interaction-2021", were held simultaneously amid the volatile situation in and beyond Afghanistan.

Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Tajikistan, Emomali Sobirzoda, welcomed the participants of the exercises, noting that the situation in the region remains difficult and tends to worsen.

The readiness of collective security forces to perform tasks, he said, is becoming more important and relevant.

The three operations focus on logistics, intelligence, and armed fighting in border conflicts, as well as terrorism responses.

Over 4,000 servicemen from CSTO member states took part in the exercises, which will end on Oct. 23.

The CSTO is a Russia-led military alliance created in 1992, grouping the six former Soviet republics of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan. Enditem

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