Tajikistan and China to hold first joint manoeuvres

Deutsche Presse Agentur
Published: Friday September 15, 2006

Moscow- Tajikistan will this month hold its first joint military exercises with neighbouring China, officials in the former Soviet Central Asian republic said Friday. Up to 600 troops will rehearse search and destroy operations against terrorist groups from September 21 to 23 on a training ground south of the Tajik capital Dushanbe, according to the Tajik defence ministry.

China has become more active in Central Asia in recent years as Beijing deepens its cooperation with Moscow, which regards the region as a sphere of Russian influence.

Joint measures aim to control the spread of radical Islamic groups like Hisb-ut-Tahrir.

Tajikistan shares a 519-kilometre border with China, which since 2004 afforded the impoverished mountain republic some 2.5 million US dollars in military aid.

© 2006 DPA - Deutsche Presse-Agenteur