CSTO anti-terror exercises to begin in northern Tajikistan.

MOSCOW, April 22 (Itar-Tass) -- The Collective Rapid Deployment Force
of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) will hold a joint
command and staff counter-terrorist exercise code-named Rubezh-2010
(Frontier-2010) in the Central Asian Collective Security Region in April.
The exercise will begin at the military training range Chorukh-Dairon,
300 kilometres north of Dushanbe, on Thursday, April 22.
Military units and task force groups from four CSTO member states -
Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan - will take part in the
exercise. Uzbekistan, which is also a CSTO member, has only sent in
observers.
"Instead of a company of commandos, a platoon of Kyrgyz troops and a
group of several officers have arrived in the area of the manoeuvres.
Several Kyrgyz helicopters have flown in, too, as planned," the CSTO Joint
Staff told Itar-Tass.
Earlier the interim government of Kyrgyzstan said it could not
participate in the exercise because of the complex situation at home.
The spokesman for Russia's ground troops, Colonel Oleg Yushkov told
Itar-Tass that the "the manoeuvres will be held at the Chorukh-Dairon
training range in the Sogd region of Tajikistan in two stages. At the
first stage, April 22-25, the manoeuvres' participants will practice
planning of a joint counter-terrorist operation to block and destroy
gunmen and illegal armed groups that have invaded Tajikistan. At the
second stage, April 26, they will carry out the operation proper with
firing practice."
About 600 servicemen will take part in the exercise. They have already
arrived at the training range. "Russia will provide a reinforced motorised
infantry company of about 150 men from the Collective Rapid Reaction Force
battalion within the 210th Russian military base in Tajikistan; Tajikistan
will commit a battalion of 300 troops, and Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan will
each send in a platoon of 30 men. The exercise staff will consist of about
30 officers from the four member states. Tajik and Kyrgyz Mi-8 helicopters
will provide air support to the ground troops," Yushkov said.
He noted that the Russian motorised infantry company with standard
arms and ammunition had made a 300-kilometre march on armoured fighting
vehicles and trucks from their base to the area of the exercise, having
crossed two mountain passes. "The company has brought all the necessary
things - several tonnes of supplies and ammunition," the spokesman said.
Kyrgyz troops arrived under their own power, and Kazakh servicemen
were brought by an Air Force plane.
The troops are living in tents in a joint field camp at the training
range.
Tajik Defence Ministry chief spokesman Faridun Makhmadaliyev told
journalists at the training range that the purpose of the exercise was to
test joint operability between the Collective Rapid Deployment Force and
other Tajik law enforcement units in blocking and destroying fighting and
illegal armed groups and practice anti-terrorist activities in
border-lying regions.
The active stage of the exercise has been divided into four episodes.
The first one will seek to practice a special border operation, strengthen
and protect the state border. The second episode envisages evacuation of
the peaceful population from a border-lying region, operational and search
efforts aimed at determining members of illegal armed groups. The purpose
of the third episode is to block and destroy terrorist groups in
hard-to-access mountainous areas.
The anti-terrorist manoeuvres will proceed under the cover of heavy
armoured vehicles and combat aviation.
The commander of Tajikistan's ground troops, Colonel Emomali Sobirov
will be in charge of the exercise. Tajik Defence Minister Sherali
Khairulloyev, officials from the defence ministries of the CSTO member
states and the CSTO Joint Staff, and foreign diplomats accredited in
Tajikistan will watch the manoeuvres. The exercise will end on April 26.
The CSTO Rapid Reaction Force held its first exercises in Kazakhstan
in late 2009. The Treaty's overall system of collective security includes
several regional subsystems.

.US top military leadership to attend VE Day parade in Moscow.

WASHINGTON, April 22 (Itar-Tass) -- The top U.S. military command will
be represented at the VE Day parade in Moscow on May 9, the Chairman of
the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen said in an exclusive
interview with Itar-Tass on Wednesday.
Mullen himself will not travel to Moscow. He is now in Washington to
receive the Chief of the Russian Army General Staff, General of the Army
Nikolai Makarov.
Troops from the anti-Hitler coalition member states, including the
United States, will march in Moscow's Red Square during the parade. The
White House and the State Department have said that America would be
represented at the highest political level.
Admiral Mullen confirmed that this was also true of the military.
"Yes, the leadership certainly will be there. And we are delighted to
participate in that parade. And we are sending a unit to participate in
that parade," he said.
-0-zak/


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